David Russell (artist)

"In collaboration with many of Hollywood's most celebrated directors, David Russell conceptualizes films by creating storyboards and [concept art|concept illustrations] . His filmography includes such mega hits as , Batman, The Color Purple, A League of Their Own, Tombstone, The Thin Red Line and Moulin Rouge!. DRAWING WITH THE EYE OF A CAMERA, Basellandshcaftliche Zeitung, 12 April 2003]

"Russell's imagination was first stimulated by reading science fiction, adventure and mythology. Awarded a full scholarship to Pasadena’s prestigious Art Center College of Design, Russell combined study with freelance work on film advertising campaigns. He also met his hero, the renowned comic book artist Jack Kirby, whose sequential storytelling techniques formed the basis of Russell’s own approach to visual storytelling. The pair became close friends.

"Russell worked as a storyboard artist on children's animation programs before securing an interview with George Lucas and being hired as visual effects storyboard artist for . Two years later, Russell was hired by Steven Spielberg as a storyboard artist on The Color Purple. Russell subsequently became the first African-American to secure membership in the Illustrators & Matte Artists Guild. He credits both Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy for changing history and making this possible." Drawn to the Movies, by Michael Jacobson, Gold Coast Bulletin Paradise Magazine, November 2006]

Russell continued working with Steven Spielberg on Amazing Stories, Empire of the Sun, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

In 1996, Russell and his wife relocated to Australia. Here he continued his illustration work on both local and Hollywood based films, including The Thin Red Line, Vertical Limit, Moulin Rouge, The Man Who Sued God, , The Quiet American, , and . Under the sponsorship of director Baz Luhrmann Russell was granted Australian citizenship under the exclusive category of Distinquished Talent.

David Russell has been invited to present Master Classes on the art of film storyboarding and concept illustration at numerous film institutions, including [http://www.focal.ch/E/ FOCAL] in Switzerland, [http://www.norskfilmutvikling.no/ Norwegian Film Development] and Stavanger Kommune in Norway, [http://www.binger.nl/ Binger Institute] in the Netherlands, [http://www.chauvelcinema.net.au/ The Chauvel Cinema] , [http://www.bond.edu.au Bond University] , [http://www.griffith.edu.au/ Griffith University] and [http://www.qut.edu.au/ Queensland University of Technology] in Australia.

In 2006, Russell's first novel [http://www.freyapublishing.com "Enchanters"] was published in Australia. A contemporary fantasy adventure, the book received critical acclaim for its literate and imaginative style, and for its powerful narrative, which includes a timely environmental subplot.

A complete list of Russell's film credits, and references to media articles about his artwork are listed on the [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751096/ Internet Movie Data Base] . A more detailed biography is listed on [http://www.aaregistry.com/detail.php?id=2691 The African American Registry] . Samples of his film artwork are posted on his website [http://www.dynamicimages.com Dynamic Images] .