Dean Russo Art

Beauty of the Beast

Dean’s Brooklyn upbringing and love of animals strongly influence his art. As an animal advocate, Dean would often visit shelters and ask for photos of adorable pets to paint. He then donated the proceeds from his art back to the shelters. He continues to donate to shelters to this day! Dean believes animal emotions are much deeper than we think. These pet portraits might burst with color but Dean primarily focuses on each animal’s eyes. The eyes are painted, not in neon colors, but true to their natural state to capture the expressiveness of each animal’s personality. Many of his paintings include inspiring messages such as “beware of pit bulls they will steal your heart” featured on one of the journals in this series. Each painting includes at least 10 mediums including charcoal, pastels, oils, pencils, sharpies, ink, spray paint, acrylic, and wax.

Dean’s love of art started in a family that was the prime manufacturer of wooden art products and growing up with the Brooklyn street art surroundings. After his training as a graphic designer, Dean missed the connection with the canvas so he started painting his muses, Montana and Valley, his two love-able pit bulls.

This new vibrant journal series features Russo’s iconic cover art and plenty of lined space for creativity of your own.