Whoever said being a successful artist requires formal training has met neither Amber Russell nor her portraits. Russell, a 26 year-old Eau Claire resident, has been drawing ever since her tiny toddler hands could grip a No. 2 pencil. Being a self-taught artist has motivated her to reach her full potential and is a noted source of personal pride. 

“I actually love people’s reaction when they first see a piece of my work and come to find out that I haven’t been artistically trained,” she says. “I take that as the highest of compliments.”

Russell listens to those admirers when they request portraits for their homes and offices. “That’s when I started doing commissions and thought to myself ‘Hmmm ... I may be able to make a living at this some day!’ ”

Such is the story of her personal favorite piece, a portrait drawing of New York tattoo artist Vince Castiglia, which now hangs in his personal studio. Russell chooses subjects who she admires – usually ranging from B-list celebrities to musicians such as Christopher Walken, Bjork, Dwight from The Office, and Frank Zappa – striving to capture their essences with painstaking attention to detail. 

“I really enjoy making things look as lifelike as humanly possible. It’s an obsession, really.” 

Russell’s work will be on display and for sale at Solstice on Grand Art Faire in Chippewa Falls on June 18. For any questions or commissions contact ambermichellerussell@gmail.com or visit her MySpace or Facebook pages under Shades of Grey.