Betty Dortch Russell is one of the South's most noted portrait artists. From her studio in Little Rock she has rendered the portraits of six Governors, countless judges, bank presidents, chancellors and deans among others. Russell also specializes in historical and environmental depictions in several media. She taught painting at the Arkansas Arts Center almost three decades and has held workshops statewide. She is a Signature member of Mid-Southern Watercolorists. She conducted aft-oriented tours throughout the world and lectured in colleges and organizations.

With work from coast to coast, her beautifully detailed choose a special moment in the life of a child or adult and capture that memory for generations to come.

Her paintings grace the walls of financial and institutions, universities and libraries, and family homes in the U.S. and abroad.

Russell is active in community organizations and has served on a number of civic boards among which are Discovery Museum, Junior League, 'Committee of 100', Church, Future-Little Rock, and "Scott Connections."

She was spotlighted as one of the Top 100 Arkansas Women. She has recently been inducted into Arkansas Women Pioneers Hall of Fame by the National Association of Women Business Owners.

Russell is one of the founders of "Scott Connections," a non-profit organization which is establishing a historical preservation Plantation Settlement at Scott Arkansas. Its purpose is to open a window of history pertaining to plantation life 1836-1942, the period of cotton farming before mechanization.

She has five children from her former marriage to Henry Russell, now deceased. She later was married to former Governor Sid McMath, now deceased.

She continues her active art career maintaining a studio in Little Rock and serving as an advisor and juror for art exhibitions.

Source: http://www.talbotengman.com/