Born in 1968, Gordon received his undergraduate and graduate art education at the Schuler School of Fine Arts in Baltimore.
Gordon's still lifes combine precise Realism with a "painterly" luminosity, a stylistic combination familiar from 17th-century Dutch and Flemish works and Italian Mannerism. Often combining layered symbolism and a subtle sense of humor, Gordon builds each work with carefully applied layers of oil paint and a clear dedication to the craft of painting. Worked directly from life, his paintings often hint at life’s fragility while reveling in its pleasures. In the end the extraordinary impact of Gordon's art reflects both the contemporary and the past, with a luminous glow we associate with the works of the Old Masters.
In 1996, Russell Gordon won first prize for still lifes in the annual national open juried contest sponsored by The Artist's Magazine.
