Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell: Painter and Printmaker of Hawaii

Shirley Marie Russell
Untitled (Hawaiian Hut nestled in lush valley with palm trees)
ca 1938
Oil on canvas

During the early twentieth century, there was a group of artists known as The Seven, a coalition of Honolulu-based female painters who first exhibited together in 1929. In ensuing posts, I'll explore each artist, from the founders, and those who participated in the shows, and their contribution to the art community in Hawaii and the world at large. 

Also known as Shirley Marie Russell, this American artist was best known for her paintings of Hawaii and her wide variety of subjects which included still lifes, landscapes, florals, portraits, and even a series of dolls. Her style combined an impressionistic style using broken brushwork and bright colors favored by the American regional impressionist painters during the early years of the 20th century, along with scenic Hawaiian subjects. 

A lifelong learner, painter, and teacher, Shirley Russell was born in Del Rey, California, May 16, 1886, to a father who had served as a major in the Civil War. She attended Palo Alto High School, and then earned her BA from Stanford University where she first became interested in art. After marrying engineer Lawrence Russell in 1909, she gave birth to a son, John Preston Russell. Following the death of her husband in 1912, Russell began to paint and worked as a teacher in Palo Alto.

Shirley Marie Russell
Self-Portrait (Young)
ca 1920s (?)
Oil on canvas
30 x 24 inches

After additional studies at the School of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, the California School of Fine Arts, and San Jose State University, she visited Hawaii with her son in 1921 and decided to stay. In Hawaii, she studied with Lionel Walden and, during the 1930s, she was able to study in Paris at La Grande Chaumiere, and the Academic Julian with Andre Lhote. She also travelled in Europe, Japan, Korea and Manchuria, and had additional studies with Rico Lebrun and Hans Hofmann fulfilling her desire to continue to grow and to keep abreast of new trends in the artworld.

Shirley Marie Russell
White Ginger
ca 1940 
Woodblock/Woodcut
13 7/8 x 10 5/8 inches

Russell influenced a generation of students — including Satoro Abe and John Chin Young — as an art teacher at McKinley High School in Honolulu (1923-46) and continued her own artistic education by attending University of Hawaii summer sessions.

Shirley Marie Russell
Hibiscus Harmony
ca 1960 
Oil on canvas

During her lifetime Shirley Russell had solo exhibitions at The Honolulu Academy of Arts (1964), The Royal Hawaiian Gallery (1966) and participated in exhibits at the LA County Museum of Art and the Grand Palais Annual Juried Exhibition in Paris.

Shirley Marie Russell
Aloe
ca 1960 
Oil on canvas
24 x 30 inches

Although Russell was best known for her figurative works including tropical flowers, seascapes and portraits, she was an avid supporter of abstract art. Her Woodblock prints lean toward abstraction with their composition and tight crops.

Shirley Marie Russell
Anthuriums
ca 1940 
Woodblock/Woodcut
14 1/2 x 11 inches

An active painter until the very end of her life, Shirley Russell died in Honolulu in 1985 at the age of 98. Her career spanned seventy years and made her one of Hawaii's most popular painter/printmakers.

Shirley Marie Russell
Self-Portrait (Young)
ca 1948
Oil on canvas
36 x 32 inches

Her work can be found in the collections of The Contemporary Museum, Honolulu, the Hawaii State Art Museum, The Imperial Museum, Tokyo and the Honolulu Academy of Arts. More recently, 

Sources__________________________________________________________________

Cedar Street Galleries, http://cedarstreetgalleries.com/bin/detail.cgi?ID=16919, retrieved 3/21/2021

Isaacs Art Center, https://isaacsartcenter.hpa.edu/artist-works.php?artistId=158197&artist=John%20Webber, retrieved 3/21/2021

askArt, Shirley Marie Russell, https://www.askart.com/artist/Shirley_Marie_Russell/103726/Shirley_Marie_Russell.aspx, retrieved 3/21/2021

Geringer Art, Ltd. https://www.geringerart.com/artists/shirley-ximena-hopper-russell/, retrieved 3/21/2021