Russ Riendeau is an ‘accidental artist’

Looking out the window, suddenly, an image appeared in Russ Riendeau’s mind: a teetering, whimsical artist easel—a huge easel. No, bigger than that.

Riding back home on the train to Barrington with his wife, Cheryl, after a visit to the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011, Riendeau drew a quick sketch on a scrap of paper. But how to build it? What would he do with the piece?

Having moved recently from Barrington to St. Charles to be closer to their three young granddaughters, Russ, ironically lives across from Mount St. Mary Sculpture Park along the Fox River. We caught up with him after seeing the curious, wide-ranging work he’s created.

So, what happened with the easel story?

“When I had the idea (turned obsession, admittedly) of building The Everest Easel, it was challenging to find a steel fabricator that was willing and able to take on my project with me and see it as art, not as a piece of equipment. The project was expensive, as I couldn’t just move 2 tons of steel in trunk of my car, so finding a suitable home for the piece took a lot of networking.”

Fast forward two years later and The Everest Easel--the tallest (and heaviest) portable easel in North America--stood 15′ tall, in Chicago Cubs Blue, weighing over 2 tons, large bolts holding it steady, in his backyard. The easel, after appearing at the world-famous ArtPrize exhibition in Grand Rapids, Michigan, eventually found a permanent home in front of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington. For Riendeau, it was the thrill and validation to follow curiosity and see what happens. And more did happen.

Over the next decade, Russ went on to create over 300 Rusty & Pogo comic panels, 100 whimsical sharpie drawings, 7 albums of music, 10 books, 40-plus paintings, sitting benches, wall art, a bronze sculpture of a horse now installed on the Mayo Clinic Phoenix campus, TEDx Talks. His work would appear on many magazine covers, as well.

How do you see art and its availability to the community to be important?

“Any art or creative works, be it writing, poetry, sculptures, invite the mind to consider ideas that can get stifled in the daily grind of work. Art gives the mind a chance to play, to dance and see what is in the back room of an idea,” Riendeau said. “As a runner and cyclist, The Fox Valley area trails are stimulating to appreciate nature, the power of water’s inspiration, as well as the community of artists in Kane County is outstanding. I had no idea this area would be so inspiring.”

How did you discover your artistic ability, and when did you begin working as an artist?

“At age five, I was already starting to build things, draw cartoons and find ways to use old stuff to create art. That was the 1960s, a time when parents kicked you out of the house to ‘go do something in the back yard.’ So, me and my brothers were always building tree forts, hockey goals, backstops, go-carts and cages to capture tigers, should one pass through the yard. Working with my hands never left me and looking at old items to now see if they could be an art piece gives me a lot of joy.”

How will you challenge yourself in 2025?

I’m not sure. But I guarantee you I am looking for that one thing that calls to me. This is the exciting part—exploring.