Liana Russwurm
Canada
Bio and Artistic Statement combined
"This painting will haunt my memories while warming my heart"
This comment, from Colin Mitchell, Editor at Standard Guide Advocate which captures the essence of Liana Russwurm’s artistic aspirations. This unsettling dissonance provokes important conversations about perceptions of identity through a sociological façade.
Liana’s latest series Homme is best described as a figurative still life. The series focus is on contemporary men set within a visual narrative telling their story reflected through both the objects and the subject. The influence is directly from time spent in Italy as a student and the work of Caravaggio, particularly his portraits of young men. Using chiaroscuro lighting, musical instruments, flowers, plants, fruit, vegetables, cutting boards and other props are added creating a still life. Reminiscent of the old masters the models are chosen for their unique individuality and sense of strength with no barriers of age, nationality or body type.
Working figuratively her work questions the status quo on perceptions of beauty through staging scenes, using models, props and lighting utilizing digital images as sketches to develop a hard copy to use for a visual reference for each painting. This series is unique as it if the first time she is ‘standardizing’ the work through sized, frame and the table which makes up the base of each painting.
Born in 1966 in Elmira, Ontario Liana graduated from OCAD University in 2007. She then spent four years recuperating from a work place accident eventually leading her to purchase an old church in Alvinston Ontario where she could focus primarily on painting. Her work has been displayed in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Italy and Ireland. Her art is owned in public and private collections across Canada.
She is best known for her series Dime Museum, The paintings Dance of the Dead (2008, oil on panel), The Judy (2012, oil on panel) and Americana (2013, oil on panel). Americana won Peoples Choice Award at the Judith and Norman ALIX Gallery 2013 Juried Art Show. Her painting Beak (2013, encaustic on panel) from her series Façade won best in the show at the First Annual Petrolia Playhouse Juried Art Show.
White Orchid (2018, oil on panel) was chosen as a part of the International Biennial Portrait Competition in 2019 at the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art in Wausau, Wisconsin. This painting is the first painting in the series Homme, which will be shown at the Judith & Norman ALIX Art Gallery when complete. It will be Liana’s first solo show at a public art gallery.
* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.
