The Judges

Luke Russell

Graduate of Piedmont High, CPCC and UNC-Charlotte

As a Charlotte area native who lived in Union County, I graduated from Piedmont High School in 2000. Not ready for college, I immediately went into the work force. For a decade I pursued music. These exploratory times led me through all facets of the industry from playing multiple instruments, performing at local venues, recording and production, and finally a career in instrument sales which eventually moved me to Greensboro. If I was not finding luck with my own dreams as a performer I was more than happy to provide the means for others to achieve their own.

Like so many who were uprooted by the financial crisis beginning in 2008, I began searching for a new direction in life. In 2010, I relocated back to Charlotte and began exploring higher education. I would not change anything about my life experiences but I had come to regret not attending college. Fortunately, in life it is never to late.

I began classes at Central Piedmont Community College in 2012, initially not knowing exactly which direction my studies would take me. After a few introductory art classes I was drawn, so to speak, back to my original passion: visual arts.

In 2016 I earned my Associate in Fine Arts and transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to continue my studies. My work was well received and I was admitted into the art department’s Illustration program on my first attempt. While Illustration was my focus, I also took Print Making which led to my professors pursuing me to join their program as well.

By my third semester, I was a double major.

In December of 2020 I graduated with honors earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and Printmaking with a Minor in Art History. I plan to continue to graduate school but have taken time off to focus on my own artistic endeavors.

I work in multimedia across many formats. I have been slow to embrace the world of digital art and prefer to work in traditional media, using software for touch ups and editing. However, I am learning the near limitless potential of the digital realm.

I divide my body of work into two categories: individual pieces which form a collection and sequential narratives. My individual work explores complex social concepts through the lens of my favorite genres: horror and science fiction. I seek to distill internal ambiguous, amorphous concepts such as depression, isolation, and social anxiety into visual monsters which can be confronted by the viewer. This is also cathartic for myself.

This work has yet to make a major public debut but has been featured in shows across the region.

In November of 2021 I received my first grant from the North Carolina Arts Council to publish the first two chapters/issues of my graphic novel. Titled Salvage, this work is an exciting sci-fi romp through themes of corporatism, conservation, our reliance on technology, blurring the lines of man and machine, and ultimately what it means to be “alive” in the digital age.

The first issues will be available in June 2022 with volume one scheduled to be complete by the end of the year.

Throughout my time as a student I also worked full time at most of the hobby and art supply stores in the Charlotte area learning invaluable product knowledge. I currently produce art at my home studio in Union County and work as a full time screen printer in Charlotte.