Reviews

Anita Russell’s two paintings that I recently purchased from her are called ‘Afloat’ and ‘Caught’.  They both explore marine themes that reflect Anita’s passion for sailing and the sea. Both paintings have layered fabrics, stitching, rope and other items Anita has found foraging on the beaches in West Wittering. In ’Afloat’, Anita has realistically used string to tie the small boat to a twig, and the sea is depicted as rough as she has accentuated the waves with stitching and the use of actual hemp netting.  In ’Caught’, Anita has covered the painting with a fine silver mesh, really bringing home the message that the fish have been truly caught in a net. The use of the multi-layered fabrics and stitching give both paintings a tactile 3-dimensional aspect which is a unique skill in many of Anita’s paintings.
I love these two painting and whenever I see them, I am immediately transported to a different place, somewhere near the seaside.