Russ Havard

Gallery Affiliations: George Billis Gallery

Region: West

Website: http://www.russhavard.com

City / State: nacogdoches, TX

In my work I use landscape to symbolize growth through volatility. Using wood, paint, paper, and razor, I create, break apart, and reconstruct materials until the pieces are de facto collages that portray how forces in nature play with both internal and external realities.

I arrived at the physicality of form by facing physical limitations. The delicate landscapes and curved forms have evolved to their current state through my struggle with an auto-immune disorder. I invest a lot of physical work, as well as spiritual and emotional energy, into every piece. When I create, I take part in a physical and spiritual reclamation. The scars and flowers of experience against the backdrop of an endless sea of days are transformed into a tiny glimpse of what Heaven might be.