Meet Steven Russell Black: Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Steven Russell Black and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Steven Russell, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
Early to Rise. I get up everyday at 5am to start painting at 6am. I stick to a strict schedule of 6 to 8am painting, 9 to 5 design work, 7 to 10pm drawing and answering emails. Then I batch all my other tasks. Saturdays are for shipping out orders in the morning. and I take Sundays off completely.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’m in love with beauty in strange places. If I can paint a severed head and your first reaction is to say out loud “beautiful” I win. I started drawing one small piece a day and posting it for sale on eBay with a 99 cent starting bid, I didn’t care much about sales I just wanted people to see I was working hard and my work was about a high level of craftsmanship. Those pieces started selling for more and more and soon I had found a collector base and market for my work. Then I expanded into the more time consuming and bigger gamble of producing larger scale painted works. It got the attention of galleries and art directors once I started doing conventions and local shows.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Magnolia Street in Burbank is my favorite place. Multiple Halloween shops and curiosity shops that feed my subject matter and love of beautifully creepy things. The whole street is a treat.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I had many helping hands along the way but the most impactful in my dedication to being an artist has been John Jude Palencar.

Website: stevenrussellblack.com
Instagram: stevenrussellblack
Twitter: @oddpainter
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stevenrussellblack