Russell Clark was educated at the Canterbury College School of Fine Arts from 1922 to 1927, where he became one of the most respected students in his class. Clark then became nationally well known as an illustrator through publications such as Sketcher, The Digest, and the New Zealand Listener.
Clark enlisted in 1942 and became an Official War Artist in 1944. After the war he was unable to return to commercial art with any enthusiasm. Fortunately, in 1947 he was able to find work as lecturer in painting at the University of Canterbury School of Art, where he taught until his death in 1966. He continued to work as a painter, muralist, and sculptor, and his work is now represented in many major galleries and collections throughout New Zealand.
