Bill Russell has been working with color, imagery, and form since he was a child in Ohio, winning many scholastic awards for his drawings, paintings, and sculptures. He holds a B.S. in Art Education from Kent State University and an M.A. in Painting from Miami University of Ohio. He has taught art at many colleges and universities as well as in private classes at his studio.

Bill has continued to make art in a variety of mediums, exhibiting throughout the US. He started his own company, Bill Russell Studio, over 40 years ago to continue a tradition which stretches back into antiquity of using color and imagery to embellish furniture. In connection with this work, he has authored two books on decorative finishing techniques which were published by Northlight Press.