Russell Powell

Pond Life

oil on canvas

24″ x 18″

2025

$595

The small ponds and wetlands that dot my landscape are brimming with life, raw, gritty, invisible to the naked eye, beautiful in its diversity, brutal in its quest for survival. Single-celled amoebas and protozoa are shape shifters that bounce and collide with energy that eventually will be eaten or tapped out, never emerging from the swamp. In early spring, untold tadpoles and minnows dart among the murky depths, hoping to avoid being swallowed by larger life forms. Seeds sink into the mud and overwinter, waiting to be animated by vernal sun or devoured for their nutritive value.

@russellstevenpowell /Russell Steven Powell