Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell

'Hibiscus Harmony', painting by Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell, c. 1960

Shirley Ximena Hopper Russell (May 16, 1886 – February 6, 1985), also known as Shirley Marie Russell, was an American artist best known for her paintings of Hawaii and her still lifes of Hawaiian flowers.

Early life and education Shirley Russell was born as Shirley Ximena Hopper in 1886, in Del Rey, California. She graduated in 1907 from Stanford University, where she discovered making art.

In the course of her art career, Russell had three one-woman exhibitions at the Honolulu Museum of Art, and taught art at the University of Hawaii and the Honolulu Museum of Art. She launched many young artists on their careers when they were her students at McKinley High School, including Satoru Abe (1926–2025) and John Chin Young (1909–1997). Although she painted in representational style herself, she was a staunch supporter of abstract art, and did some abstract work herself throughout her career.

She continued to paint almost daily until her death in Honolulu in 1985, at the age of 98.

The Hawaii State Art Museum, Honolulu Museum of Art, Isaacs Art Center, and Tokyo National Museum are among the public collections holding works by Shirley Russell.