art seen: Chasing Sunlight

For Russell Jewell, art is more than paint on paper. It is a way to capture light, sounds, smells and—perhaps most of all—feelings.  

   As with many artists, Jewell’s love affair with art began in childhood. The native South Carolinian realized he enjoyed the act of creating: picking up a pencil and drawing what he could see and producing something beautiful. As much as he loved art, however, he received no formal instruction until college, when he attended his first art classes.

  Art classes eventually gave way to an academic career of his own, when he began teaching high school art as a student teacher before going on to become a full-time teacher. Still, the desire to create called to him.

“In the beginning, I had zero experience,” he recalls. “Like most young adults, I thought everyone my age had relatively the same skills. I was willing to learn, but art education had only been introduced to me from a teaching standpoint rather than a studio standpoint. Because of that, I began to seek out artists I admired and take their workshops during the summers.”

  As dedicated a student as he was, Jewell spent the next decade furthering his education while advancing his art. He earned an Interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Art Education from the University of South Carolina and a Doctor of Art Education from the University of Georgia. Still, painting was, in many ways, a dream deferred. By the 1990s, Jewell and his wife were raising a family and both teaching—yet he found ways to pursue his passion.

 Prints of Jewell’s autographed Charleston paintings were sold at Belk, helping establish his name in the local art scene over the next several years. Eventually, his love for painting outdoors—coupled with an undeniable competitive streak—found him competing in Plein Air Easton, a week-long plein air competition featuring a museum exhibition, followed by awards and art sales.

 Russell has competed 14 times in Easton, a fact which speaks to his technique, skill, and what he considers to be the most important, most “unteachable” facet of his painting—his passion. “For me, there is no such thing as ‘born’ talent,” he contends. “There is, however, passion. Passion demands our time and attention, and it is the fuel for practice. Enough passion becomes the illusion of talent. After all, how could I have ever taught art if I thought I was only teaching people who were ‘talented’ enough to create art?”

 Now retired from teaching, Jewell devotes himself fully to his art, creating richly pigmented, detailed watercolor paintings that he says are essentially a “visual diary, recording my life’s experiences.”

 As Jewell observes, his style has shown the evolution of years, the realization of light and shadow, the capturing and exploration of subject as artist, paint, and paper come together in communion. As a frequent participant in plein air competitions, Jewell’s style and technique have additionally been influenced by the oil painters he has competed against. “They have required me to create bold watercolors that carry across the expanse of a room,” he says. “I now frame my work in the same frames as oil painters and have created my own method of varnishing my watercolors to be exhibited without glass. Gone are the days when watercolor was soft and weak in value, hung in a metal frame behind the reflection of glass and exhibited in a dark corner away from the glare of a sunlit room. Watercolor is now loud and proud—worthy of being properly collected and hung alongside all other fine art media.”

While he tends to paint pastoral scenes, coastal landscapes, and Charleston cityscapes, Jewell says that more than anything, he is inspired by light. “Many times, during plein air competitions, people will ask, ‘Where are you painting tomorrow?’ and I think to myself, ‘I don’t know where I’m going to paint. I have to wait to see what the sun tells me to paint.’”

 Painting outside as he so often does, Jewell draws quick thumbnail sketches that serve as references for his full-sized paintings. “The idea is to sketch the thumbnail, then smear, then concentrate on value contrast and focal point,” he explains. “In watercolor, the approach is very similar. I first paint with light colors while preserving whites, similar to utilizing drawing smears and erasing highlights. Then, just as in the drawing, I concentrate on value contrast and focal point to complete the painting.”

 In addition to being a recognized plein air watercolorist, Jewell teaches painting workshops across the country. He is represented by The Wells Gallery at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and holds signature memberships in the American Watercolor Society, National Watercolor Society, and Transparent Watercolor Society of America. His recent awards include Best of Show at Edisto and Best of Show at the Hilton Head Quick Draw, and his next workshop is in Costa Brava, Spain, from May 14-21, 2027.

View more of his art at @russell.jewell.art, russelljewell.com, and wellsgallery.com.