Russ was my dear dear friend. I am stunned beyond words. Candice On Apr 26, 2013 4:15 AM, "Rob Hudson" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Tonight I am mourning the death of Russell Sutherland, a good friend of > mine since 2003, who died at his computer last night. Russell had struggled > with many, many medical issues, and was in pain and bad shape, limiting the > time he could physically work with his hands to create his origami art. > > Russell had a lot against him, from poverty to lost nerves (thoracic), but > always looked forward to a time where he could be an Artist-in-Residence, > doing his origami and sharing the art with others. > > Russell was there for me in some very personal struggles, and I helped him > when I could. His conflicts and struggles with others dwarfed mine, but his > were much higher stakes, from fighting for basic finances and living > conditions to struggling to retain his identity as an artist as others > sometimes took credit for the work. > > This made Russ exceedingly upset, and, I fear, his outbursts reflected > poorly on him to those who didn't understand the level of his pain and his > convictions and how much he was a part of the work and relationships that > he made. > > Regardless, over the past few years, Russell never hesitated to contact me > to see how *I* was doing. In reviewing our conversations and logs, I see so > many times where he was enduring severe pain and life stress, and yet still > produced his art and listened. And despite my own complaining and middling > issues, Russ followed my tiny struggles and always, always opened and > closed our conversations with "remember that you can always call me to > talk." > > I'll miss you, Russ - wish I'd picked up the phone more and pissed and > moaned less. >
