Russell has an Honors Degree in Visual Arts and a Masters Degree in Fine Arts, both from QUT.

Russell's art practice - Absurdist Whimsical Kinetic Sculpture - crosses the boundaries of art, technology and performance. His work varies in scale from the intimate (tea bag jigglers) to large (bubble machine I + II) and he has performed at, and installed temporary artworks for festivals including Livid and Five to Midnight. His large scale works, the majority of which have been primarily self-funded, can take several years to complete. He has a tendancy to create work in series, with each 'model' deviating to a certain degree from the last. With Bubble Machine II almost complete, Russell is already working on plans for a Bubble Machine III.

The whimsy factor of Russell's art makes it popular with people of all ages regardless of whether they see it as art or not.