PAINT CHIP POEMS

The hardware store paint chip plays into social, cultural and personal narratives. The paint chip acts as a small piece of a larger ideal; a genericized version of personal desire. A fresh coat of paint in your home equals renewal, a fresh start. This is inherent in both the material of the paint and the language of the chip names. Using the combination of color & language, Russell involves cultural and personal problematics into this utopian equation attempting to suppress or contain large, unruly aspects of popular culture and daily life into small, manageable squares. The color chips gradate per usual, but their names, a mix of literal and ephemeral associations to create juxtapositions filled with awkward tension and dark humor, questioning what we desire and why we desire it.

Paint Chip Poems was originally made in 2004, with several updates throughout the years, to accurately represent the changing times. It’s been shown as an artist book, and as prints.