Carol Russell is Tasmanian-born artist who works primarily in wood.  Carol spends as much time as she can travelling, visiting family and exploring the landscape that provides her with so much inspiration. Her focus is creating interpretive sculptures that evokes a narrative in the mind of the viewer, she is always trying to capture the essential character of her subjects rather than their realistic features, her style has been described as ‘contemporary vernacular folk’.

Carol is interested in exploring painted finishes as well as the natural surfaces of timber, she uses a lot of texture to play with light and create movement. Hand tools hold a fascination for her, the slow process of carving and the tool marks left by razor sharp tools leave the work with an unprocessed feeling.

As a furniture maker for many years, she became fascinated by the small pieces of timber left behind and what could be done with them, she started carving spoons and small sculptures and after a while this fascination took over and the carving became the dominant activity.

Carol has exhibited in galleries throughout Australia and is a regular contributor to the Australian Wood Review magazine. She also teaches carving in her Melbourne studio and throughout Australia. “I believe that no matter what you make from timber, you can’t improve on a tree. I don’t like to see trees cut down if it’s not necessary and I believe in using every bit. Making small work means I can find a use for everything. It’s a privilege to work with such beautiful material.”