Spokane Valley man’s art is illusion
Chris Russell became the Amazing Christopher at the age of 12 when he performed illusions on-stage in Mississippi.
Taking after his father – a magician who was close friends with David Copperfield – Russell is still amazing, creating illusions, monsters, and fanciful creatures for the kid in all of us.
Some might even suggest that Russell is still 12. When giving a tour of his studio space in Spokane Valley, he points to an empty top shelf and urges a visitor to be careful. “There’s an invisible dragon sitting there,” he said.
Russell, 37, learned his craft by observing and doing. Enjoying the art of illusion, he said to himself, “I want to do that” and so he did, building attractions and characters for haunted houses. He creates masks (many that can be found in Halloween stores), body parts, and sideshow gaffs for movies, television, theme parks, private clients and rock bands. He points to a trio of masks laid out on a couch saying, “those are being sent to a rock band in Singapore.” Other projects he is working on are top secret, though he did hint at a commercial for a popular snack food.
About five years ago, Silverwood Theme Park offered Russell a job building Blood Bayou and, for a couple of years, he flew between Spokane and Mississippi. When the project was complete, the park offered him the position of special effects director and he moved to Spokane.
Now, Russell has a playground, Silverwood, where he creates characters and worlds.
“I love entertaining others,” he said. “Their reactions are priceless.”
First comes clay, then a mold, then liquid latex, then trimming and painting and then, voila: the things dreams and nightmares are made of. He’s having fun. He’s met rock stars and celebrities like Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and the Crypt Keeper.
“It’s cool. I’m living a dream but none of that really matters, what I really want is family time and to have breakfast in a rainforest one day,” he said.
He dreams big, still plays with toys, and can carve clay into anything – no doubt he’ll find his way to a rainforest. He still maintains the belief that anything is possible.
His work has a huge audience, though few know the artist behind the designs. In June, he will step out from behind the curtain and exhibit his work alongside two dozen artists at La Resistance, an underground art and music collective founded by artists Laura White and Ron Holliday.
“I saw some of Laura’s work at the Satellite Diner and connected with her online,” Russell said. “She asked me to be a part of the show. I’m looking forward to it.”