The Story Behind Old Crow Creative

Life is busy. Screens, notifications, work and responsibilities compete for our attention.

Nature offers something different. A walk through the forest, watching birds beside the water, or noticing movement outside a window can give us a reason to slow down.

Old Crow Creative began with that kind of observation.

I create digital paintings and original art inspired by birds, nature and the small moments that are easily missed.

My hope is that my artwork brings a little of that quieter world into your home.

My name is Russell

I'm the artist behind Old Crow Creative.

My fascination with nature began during childhood walks through the forest with my grandmother and her dogs. She encouraged me to explore, climb trees, build dams in streams and see where the path would take me.

I would come home full of questions about what I had discovered. I also spent hours reading nature and wildlife books.

That curiosity has stayed with me.

Today, when I walk through a forest or watch the birds around my home, I'm interested in more than what I see. I notice behaviours, interactions, relationships and the curious things that other people miss.

I want to understand what they are doing and why.

That habit of quiet observation has become the foundation of my art.

Finding my way back to creativity

I've been creative for as long as I can remember. I loved drawing, painting, cartoons and comic strips, and later studied 2D and 3D animation.

After college, I entered corporate life. Over the years, work and family responsibilities became increasingly demanding, and art gradually disappeared from my everyday life.

During the pandemic, I began doing creative activities with my children. In the process, I rediscovered how much I loved drawing and making things.

While I was trying to work out what to do next, my wife saw how fulfilling it was for me to be creative and suggested I simply be an artist.

I began learning digital painting and discovered that I could combine my love of art with the flexibility of digital tools. Alongside learning how to paint, I learned how to create products, run a business and build a brand.

There are a lot of crows around where I live, and I've always found them fascinating. They're intelligent, resourceful and persistent, and they can be comfortable both alone and as part of a group.

I recognised a little of myself in them.

When I started Old Crow Creative, I was approaching fifty. The name seemed to fit: a slightly old crow, being creative.

Why birds?

I didn't choose birds simply because they are beautiful.

I love their colours and variety, but it is their behaviour that really holds my attention. Their personalities, interactions and curious habits can be funny, surprising and sometimes remarkably familiar.

One day, I watched a goldfinch pulling strands of spider web from a bush outside my home. A house sparrow was watching it too.

I had no idea what the goldfinch was doing. Later, I discovered that birds use spider web in their nesting material.

That small moment is typical of what I enjoy about nature. Something catches my attention, I become curious, and I learn something new.

That is often where a painting begins.

Bringing nature home

I create artwork for people who love nature but don't always have the time or opportunity to escape into a forest, walk through a marsh or sit quietly beside the water.

My hope is that my art can bring a little calm into your surroundings and offer a moment of connection with the natural world.