Russell Prescott

Russell was born in Adelaide where he won the year 12 Art Prize, but his family expected him to pursue a profession, like his brothers who studied medicine, law and surveying, so he enrolled in Architecture at Adelaide University. He graduated in 1976, worked in local firms and then started his own practice. In the early nineties he moved to Sydney, ultimately establishing his own office. He was renowned for developing his architectural designs and presentations exclusively through hand drawings and illustrations despite CAD becoming more prevalent. He won several design awards in his architecture career.
When the lease on his Balmain waterfront warehouse was about to run out in 2019 Russell decided to quit architecture and commit fully to art. The freedom of expression in art was a liberating experience. Russell was encouraged by winning a prize in the first awards he entered, the Woollahra Art Prize, the subject Queen St. He has been a finalist in fourteen prizes since then, winning another in the 2024 Northern Beaches Gallery Art Prize.
He has done workshops with Wendy Sharpe, The National Art School and Guy Morgan. He works in diverse mediums including acrylics, gouache, charcoal, pastel and oils and explores themes of urban and natural landscapes in expressive and figurative style.
These works use the light conditions, early morning, dusk or night to explore unique opportunities to highlight elements and introduce bold colour.
Finalist Glover Art Prize 2025
3rd Prize Winner Northern Beaches Gallery Art Prize 2024