Dean Mitchell (born 1957) is an American figurative artist who works primarily in watercolor and oil paint. His subjects, derived largely from African American culture, have been cited for their emotional depth, avoidance of facile sentimentality, and accomplished sense of formal design.Dean Mitchell's soul-satisfying art exhibit now at Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art
. Tampa Bay.com. Retrieved July 31, 2010. Mitchell was born in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania in 1957, and raised in

Quincy, Florida Quincy is a city in and the county seat of Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census, up from 6,982 at the 2000 census. Quincy is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. History Established in 1828, ...

. After graduating from the

Columbus College of Art and Design Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) is a private art school in Columbus, Ohio. It was founded in 1879 as the Columbus Art School and is one of the oldest private art and design colleges in the United States. Located in downtown Columbus, CCAD ...

in 1980, Mitchell moved to

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...

and started working as an illustrator at

Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the company was award ...

. He remained at Hallmark for the next three years and began entering national and international art competitions. When Hallmark terminated his employment in 1983, he decided to pursue painting as a full-time career. Mitchell's artwork has been the subject of numerous articles, and is represented in museum and corporate collections, including the

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art opened in 1994 in Kansas City, Missouri. With a $5 million annual budget and approximately 75,000 visitors each year, it is Missouri's first and largest contemporary museum. Founders The core of the museum's perm ...

, the

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art is an art museum in Kansas City, Missouri, known for its encyclopedic collection of art from nearly every continent and culture, and especially for its extensive collection of Asian art. In 2007, ''Time'' magaz ...

, and the

Saint Louis Art Museum The Saint Louis Art Museum (SLAM) is one of the principal U.S. art museums, with paintings, sculptures, cultural objects, and ancient masterpieces from all corners of the world. Its three-story building stands in Forest Park in St. Louis, Mi ...

.Biography
. Autry National Center. Retrieved July 31, 2010. His life is the subject of an illustrated book for children, ''Against All Odds: Artist Dean Mitchell's Story.'' Mitchell has also illustrated US postage stamps, such as the 1995

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

stamp in the Jazz Musician series.

Exhibitions

References

External links

Biography, Dean L. Mitchell
* ttp://www.kansascity.com/2009/08/17/1389250/former-kc-artist-dean-mitchell.html Former KC artist Dean Mitchell finds a warmer welcome in Florida, Kansas City.combr>Dean Mitchell's soul-satisfying art exhibit now at Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art, Tampa Bay.comDelray Beach exhibit shows works of watercolorist Dean Mitchell, Sun Sentinel.com

Everything's a Portrait: Watercolors of Dean Mitchell, Broward Palm Beach New TimesFlorida artist puts emotion on canvas, Tampa TribuneBiography, Florida Black History Month, 2010Biography, Charlotte Street FoundationBiography, Autry National CenterDean Mitchell Artist Biography

Against All Odds: Artist Dean Mitchell's StoryThe Art of Dean MitchellDean Mitchell
on the African American Visual Artists Database
Dean Mitchell at the Canton Museum of Art
(2010 profile produced by

Western Reserve Public Media WNEO (channel 45) is a non-commercial educational television station licensed to Alliance, Ohio, United States. It is simulcast full-time over satellite station WEAO (channel 49) in Akron, Ohio. Both are member stations of PBS and jointly br ...

)
Dean Mitchell's American West
(Video overview produced by Gadsden Arts Center and Museum) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Dean 1957 births Living people Painters from Pittsburgh 21st-century American painters 20th-century American painters American watercolorists American male painters Columbus College of Art and Design alumni People from Quincy, Florida American stamp designers 20th-century African-American painters 21st-century African-American artists 20th-century American male artists