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Born in 1946, Russell Cobane has dedicated a lifetime to the perfection of his awesome talent. He began
in his youth as a landscape painter and spent many hours camping and fishing. In his 30s, he was a
prominent commercial illustrator with a Madison Avenue artist representative. His love of plants and nature
called to his soul and in 1984 he began painting wildlife.
He was well received, earning the 1985 and1989 Michigan Ducks Unlimited Artist Of The Year Award,
1986 Michigan Duck Stamp, 1987 Featured Artist Michigan Great Lakes Wildlife Festival with sold out
show print "Daybreak," 1988 Michigan Trout Stamp, 1988 Indiana Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print, 1989
Michigan Ducks Unlimited Sponsor Print, 1990 and 1998 Featured Artist Michigan Wildlife Habitat Foundation Show, winning the People’s Choice Award at the show for five consecutive years, 1991 commission
print for the Dominos Pizza Corporation,1992 South Carolina Duck Stamp, series of eight collector
plates for THe Bradford Exchange, greeting cards , and products for the National Wildlife Federation and
the Humane Society, 1995 Featured Artist Kansas City National Ducks Unlimited Show, and Featured
Artist at the Michigan Bluebird Festival. Russell’s efforts in conservation have Earned in excess of 500,000
dollars for Ducks Unlimited alone.
Russell continues to paint primarily nature subjects, but is interested in exploring other subjects as well. One never knows where his hobbies, such as orchid growing, will take him. A recent agreement with The Hadley Publishing Company will bring his work to a larger audience through The Wooden Bird Stores and The Hadley Dealer Network
Russell always has one last finishing touch to add to each painting before he is satisfied that it is complete. Many times visitors to the studio remark on a nearly finished piece, "It looks beautiful to me," but ever the perfectionist, Russell will add one or two more finishing brushstrokes before he is ready to sign his name to another masterful work of art.
"Painting is just a small part of the joy of being an artist. The real reward comes when collectors fall in love with a painting or print and choose it for their very own. This really gives me a sense of joy and completion," says Russell. |
