DETROIT — Hazel Mitchell is once again delving into a new art form.
In a career that has spanned from England to South Carolina to small-town central Maine, Mitchell has been a painter, graphic artist, pottery designer, children’s book illustrator, editorial cartoonist, Web site designer, art teacher and even a portraitist for Princess Anne of England.
When one of her photographs hangs in the University of Maine Museum of Art this spring as part of its “I-95 Triennial” exhibition, Mitchell will have arrived in the field of impressionistic art photography.
“I’m kind of a bit of a chameleon as an artist,” said the 46-year-old Mitchell, who lives with her husband, Mike, just outside Detroit village. “My fine-art work is different from my children’s work. And the photography is just for the pleasure at the moment as opposed to a money-making thing.”
Her upstairs gallery, heated by a crackling wood stove, chronicles her recent projects. On a wall above a futon couch, a children’s book about legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt is planned out in a series of paper scraps covered with words and sketches. On an easel at the end of the room is a large painting that depicts the battle between foaming waves and age-old granite at Acadia National Park’s Schoodic Point. Opposite that is the usual center of activity, a burdened yet organized computer desk where Mitchell walks the line between creating art and making a living.
If raising pets were an art form, Mitchell could add that to her resume as well, with five dogs, two horses and a black cat that likes to sleep on a windowsill near the wood stove.
“I work a lot of long hours here,” said Mitchell in a thick accent that hails from Yorkshire, England. “I’m never short of ideas.”
Mitchell’s love of visual art was kindled by a teacher she had as a teenager, but didn’t bud fully until she was in, of all places, the British Navy. Working as a graphic designer, Mitchell began to master the manipulation of artistic computer software, which remains key to most of her creations. Still, the process starts with Mitchell’s discerning eye and vivid imagination, not a silicon processor.
“With me it seems to come naturally,” she said. “Some people sing, some cook, some people build things.”
Though much of her art is heavily impressionistic — such as the photograph of three right whales that will be showcased in the “I-95 Triennial” exhibition — Mitchell is driven by the story told by each image. That is certainly the case in a series of swirling, fractured and bubbly photographs she made recently of a block of ice backlit by candles.
“When I look at those I see other planets, fish, fairy lands and outer space,” she said, displaying some of the ice photos on her computer screen. “With me it’s not purely about form.”
Asked what brought her to Detroit in 2004, Mitchell said she and her husband were lured by the desire to live in northern New England. Despite being surrounded by small towns, Mitchell said, she has found a community of other artists in the area, some of whom have even gone as far as creating a group called The Artlings, which meets regularly in the Pittsfield area.
Russ Cox, an illustrator and animator from Pittsfield, is also part of the group. Like Mitchell, he moved to the area recently.
“It’s an opportunity for us to talk about what we’re working on,” said Cox. “We also talk about clients and how to deal with them. It makes you realize that you’re not the only one with your kind of problems.”
Mitchell agreed and said she already has been inspired to do more by other artists in the group. If she can find the time.
“Life’s not a rehearsal,” she said. “Like is often said in England, you’re looking at the [coffin] lid for a long time.”
The “I-95 Triennial exhibit,” which will feature work from 44 artists chosen from a pool of 144, opens April 22 at the University of Maine Museum of Art at 40 Harlow St. in Bangor. To learn more about The Artlings, contact Cox by e-mail at russ@smilingotis.com.
