Charles M. Russell Art

Charles Marion Russell was an artist of the Old American West. He was born in 1864 and grew up in Missouri. Art was always a part of his life. At a young age, he used to draw sketches and make clay figures of animals. He spent hours reading about the Wild West that he had an intense interest in. Russell’s instructor was Col. William H. Fulkerson. At the age of 16, he left school and went to work on a sheep ranch in Montana. He sketched in his free time and soon gained reputation as an artist. His intimate knowledge of outdoor life and his firsthand experience as a ranch hand contributed to the distinctive realism that characterizes his style. Beginning in 1888, Russell spent a period living with a branch of the Blackfeet nation, the Blood Indians. It’s believed that it’s from this period that he gained much knowledge of the Native American culture. He returned to the White culture in 1889 and found Judith Basin filling up with settlers so he settled and worked in the area of Great Falls. In 1896, Russell married his wife Nancy and they moved from Cascade, Montana to Great falls where he spent the majority of his life. He continued with his art and became a local celebrity and gained the acclaim of critics worldwide. Russell wasn’t skilled in marketing, so his wife Nancy is generally credited for making him an internationally known artist. Nancy set up many shows for Russell in London and throughout the United States, creating many followers of him. Russell died in 1926. To date, his creative pieces remain popular, with many art dealerships selling framed Charles M. Russel art for customers.