COURTESY OF REBECCA RUSSO
REBECCA RUSSO
A native of Hoboken , Rebecca Russo says that “ Growing up on the Hudson River defines me as a person . We ’ re right on New York City ’ s skirt tail . Everything is at our fingertips , everything is at arm ’ s length and in eyesight . Icould never live too far from the skyline .” Nevertheless , she was a resident of Ridgefield , North Bergen , Caldwell , Ocean Port , Long Branch , Edgewater , Monmouth Beach and Cliffside Park before moving with her family to Montclair nearly a year ago .
The timing was right .“ Homeschooling my two kids ( ages 10 and 12 ) for two years with my husband working in the bedroom and me making artwork on my bathroom floor was becoming uncomfortable ,” says Russo . “ We wanted a garden and to be able to spend more time outside , and my husband and Ialways loved Montclair . I went to school at Caldwell University for art and psychology , so this area always felt like home to me .”
CIGARETTES AND KALE
Russo has a background in oil-painting large abstracts , but she says that the medium she works in varies depending on what is at hand ; some days , she ’ ll use ink and pen , on others , crayons and coffee , or even cigarettes and kale ( her website is cigarettesandkale . com , and her Instagram handle is @ cigarettesandkale ).“ It ’ s all about balance , and finding truth and something new ,” she says . “ I don ’ t want to recreate what inspires me ; Iwant to find truth in it . Iwant to draw almost blind , kind of like astream of consciousness .” Her work , she says , incorporates pops of color , black and white scribbles , “ mark-making , lips , tragedy , freedom , and vulnerability .”
Russo sells her art online on Saatchi Art , a curated platform that also hosts gatherings called The Other Art Fair in locations around the world . She has also been featured in Italian Vogue . Her most recent arthas taken the form of “ mostly portraits , faces and figures ,” she says .
“ It ’ s relatable . And it ’ s a way for me to connect with people and clients all over the world .” She attributes her success to discovering the advantages of risktaking . “ Once Istarted to come to terms with myself and my work and stopped trying to be ‘ good ,’ it was all asnowball andalandslide ,” she says . “ I began to see my work as aprocess and ajourney .”
She says she learned that the creative process has peaks and valleys , and that neither the highs nor the lows define the value of the end product , or the abilities of the artist . “ It ’ s what happens over time ,” she says . “ You can ’ t see progress . You learn to keep going and to keep making work .”
INSPIRATION AROUND EVERY CORNER
Montclair is a natural setting for artists , according to Russo . “ It seems like everywhere I turn , someone or something is art ,” she says . “ Art makes us curious , and there ’ s so much of it here , bringing people together . It ’ s as if it ’ s rooted in the town — the landscaping , the trees , the parks . I feel so inspiredjust going on walks and getting to know our neighborhood .”
Some walks have been especially fruitful . Her children are currently working on abook based on their trips to the Presby MemorialIris Gardens in Upper Montclair “ because I always forget the names of the flowers ,” she says .“ We ’ re also doing abook on bird watching becauseIhave never seen so many birds before !”
Russo has also connected with other artists , including Demarcus McGaughey and Fiona Chinkan , whose works were also exhibited at Brooklyn ’ s The Other Art Fair . “ And Ifound awonderful framer ,” she says . “ Wade Maxx has been so good to me .”
As COVID-19 restrictions recede , Russo would like to become more immersed in the local art scene . She has donated one of her works to Montclair ’ s Mutual Aid Art Auction , and says she looks forward to meeting new artists and collectors and doing group projects . She would especially like to be involved in outdoor art projects such as group murals . “ I have been wanting to do a mural my whole life , and being here makes me feel like Iaminthe right place ,” she says .
MONTCLAIR RESIDENT SINCE
NOVEMBER 2020
@ montclairmagazine MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE FALL 2021
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