"The Call"
1992 Oil on Linen 36" x 48"
Michele Maria Mitchell
"Human existence is a possibility, not an ideal. Unspoken words of passionate voice within me seek the medium to articulate life, seeing and its possibilities. Life reveals, of its own profundity, that seeing itself is a possibility. That I may participate in this dance is my greatest joy."
Communicating with one's model is difficult but rewarding, particularly when the model has an aspiration for self-discovery. The Call exudes the universal longing present in each of our hearts. We (Mitchell and the model) each felt a sensitive responsibility to be honest with ourselves and to trust each other, and we both walked the journey of longing side by side.
BIOGRAPHY
"Moving Toward the Light"
1993 Oil on Canvas 24" x 32"
After attending University of Illinois in Champaign and the American Acedemy of Art in Chicago, Mitchell traveled extensively through Europe working with a team of planners and architects to revitalize the Greek city of Arta and studying the masters at the Uffizi, the Louvre and the Tate. Upon return, she attended the Atelier Lack Studio of Fin Art in Minneapolis, Minnesota for four years. She then studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy from 1994-1995.
Mitchell's work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institiute or Arts, Grand Central Gallery in New York, Palette and Chisel of Fine Arts in Chicago and Talisman Gallery in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. In 1997, she won the Best of Show and the People's Choice Award in the American Society of International Annual Competition. In 1998, she and her husband, James Ostlund, were chosen by the Washington Society of Portrait Artists as leaders in their craft. Their work received the Best of Show and President's Award and will be hung in the U.S. Capitol. They were also a joint recipient of the Best of Show Award from the American Society of Portrait Artists and Mitchell once again received the People's Choice Award. Mitchell is represented by galleries in New York and Los Angeles. She and her husband live with their daughter, Olivia in Chicago.
Article featured in The Chicago Art Scene