ABOUT

Matthew Russ was born in Portland, Maine and raised in nearby Cape Elizabeth. He earned a B.A. from Colby College, majoring in studio art with a concentration in oil painting, and studying for one year at Crawford College of Art in Cork, Ireland. He lives with his wife KC in Waterville, where he maintains a studio on Main Street and works as a preparator at the Colby College Museum of Art and the Paul J. Schupf Art Center.

Matt celebrates Maine’s landscape in his paintings.  He paints from life, working outdoors in all seasons and often backpacking into remote locations. He favors protected lands, such as Maine State Parks, the Kennebec Highlands, the Morse Mountain Conservation Area, Maine Audubon sanctuaries, and islands along the Maine Island Trail.

Matt has shown at a variety of venues throughout the state of Maine: Ocean House Gallery, Maine Film Center, Thos. Moser, Maine Audubon, Portland Art Gallery, Window Tree Gallery, Maine Lakes Resource Center, Schoolhouse Gallery, Harlow Gallery, L.C. Bates Museum, Legacy Properties Sotheby's International Real Estate, Waterfront Fine Arts, Waterville Creates, Shaw Jewelry, and Unity College Center for the Arts. 

Matt has contributed to auctions benefitting Maine Audubon Society, Maine College of Art, Harlow Gallery, Maine Island Trail Association, Maine Preservation, Maine Cancer Foundation, Cape Elizabeth Land Trust, Camden Public Library, Habitat for Humanity of Waldo County, and Wolfe’s Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment. He has also completed commissions for individuals and institutions, including Colby College’s Environmental Studies Department and Piampiano Law Offices. Five of his paintings are permanently installed in MaineGeneral Medical Center.