Introducing my other collaborators...

There are two other people I have worked with that are very important in my artistic practice, one of which is my father, James K. Russell.



Sayonara: Born to Do More was my final exhibition in undergraduate school and my Dad's last show before he retired after 27 years as the painting and drawing professor at Boise State University. The work we created marked the beginning of me looking at the relationship between photography and sculpture, found objects and collage.

The other very important person who had to be featured in these cake floats is Lisa Rader. She is my best friend from graduate school and we spent the summer of 1998 in New Zealand - mainly Southland, Auckland, and Stewart Island. "Finding Stewart: A Collaboration" (photograph by Javy Russell below) was very instrumental for me in terms of working with different materials and mediums including artists' books, printmaking, postcards, found objects and photographs. It was the first time I had traveled to a location with someone and made art based on the "road trip."



Our last collaboration occurred in 2007-2008 when I sent Li my wedding ring and she did the following with it (text Li, image Jacinda):



Li is a huge inspiration for me and her inclusion in this project brings my whole involvement with collaboration full circle. Here we are at the Brandon, VT 3rd of July parade (the two of us combined had red, white, and blue covered).