Russell is an up and coming luthier who builds violins, 5-string violins and violas. Starting with high quality tone woods, he uses hand tools to carve his instruments and finishes them with a traditional homemade oil and resin varnish.

A fiddle player himself, Russell recognizes the importance of a violin having easy playability and a full, rich tone. He knows that a fine instrument will inspire and push further a musician of any skill level.

Studying violin making with Joe Thrift of Elkin, NC, Russell learned the building methods of the  great Italian Masters. A member of the Violin Society of America and the Southern Violin Association, he was the recipient of the 2016 NC Regional Artists Project Grant for violin making. Currently, Russell builds instruments at his workshop in Elkin, NC.