Russ Noto

The studio is my place of work. And work is an act of devotion for me.

I arrange my studio practice around the traditional, often figurative and sublime notions of beauty in painting. These elements are used to form a conversation of pictures –– requiring me to work on multiple pieces at once to see how they speak to one another. The arrangement of my studio wall has to do with the content of the work as well. I build images. I try to think like a sculptor and act like a painter. This way of organizing adds magic to the work and keeps the process breathing and growing. I’m constructing a set of circumstances that figures, objects and environments can vibrate against. This is where my work finds its legs.

Nature is important in the work as well. It grounds the paintings, creating a hum in the background that will carry a sort-of drama over it. This allows the objects and/or text the freedom to take on a phenomenal role in the work. It draws the viewer in and presents a narrative of splendor vs. logic. I mythologize my paintings this way.