Russo garners honors

Kirsten “KiKi” Russo, daughter of Jon Russo and Franklin native Melanie Baker Russo, was voted Best Visual Artist 2020 by The Daily Advertiser, Times of Acadiana Best of 2020 in September.
When pressed, she describes her style of art as: Surrealist-Pop and “whimsical.”
Self-taught, she has been making visual art for six years now, and said she began drawing after she was forced at the age of 16 to stop playing her violin, on which she was classically trained, due to nerve damage in her arm. She was also a singer, but said she needed more of a creative outlet. That “more” became her passion for visual art.
“I decided to buy some paint, and give it a go to see if I could paint… and I was pretty ok, so I kept trying, and over time, honed my skills,” Russo said.
Among her influences, she named Van Gogh, Salvador Dali, Lora Zombie and Bob Ross.
She said she usually sets up in downtown Lafayette for the Lafayette Artwalk, the second Saturday of every month, but with the advent of COVID and the restrictions that have come along with it, she has, like the rest of Acadiana, been at home instead.
She said she has not been able to work recently due to a broken wrist sustained in a skating accident, but she expects to be back in prime function by January.
To learn more about KiKi Russo’s work got to https://thethirdeyeartinc.com/.