Today we’d like to introduce you to RD Mitchell.
Hi RD, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
After 40+ years as a creative and business leader in the advertising and design industry, I became a full-time painter in 2017. I was contracted that year with a top-ranked gallery in Santa Fe. Sixteen months later, I came to the conclusion that gallery representation wasn’t allowing me to grow, so we ended our relationship. Simply put, I felt like a pigeonholed wholesaler. I wanted to experiment and stretch as I learned to be an artist without having to please anyone but myself. I’m 71 this year, so the time necessary to become an artist is, well, short.
Right away, I began participating in juried competitions of well recognized national and international organizations. But, as I developed, membership in some of those organizations became less satisfying. I started weeding out exhibitions that didn’t fit my goals and replacing them with others. Today, I’m much happier with my work and where it’s being shown.
In 2024, I was one of 47 finalist for Spain’s, Almenara Prize. (There were 4,000 entries from 67 countries.) Currently, my work can be found through the end of this year in the Amarillo Museum of Art 2025 Biennial.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Even though I was a professional creative talent, the commercial world and fine art world are very different. So, the change in industries hasn’t been seamless or painless. The creative reputation I cultivated for 40 years was irrelevant in the fine art world. I had to start over. I even had to drop my name as Dick Mitchell and start over with RD Mitchell because there was a Dick Mitchell in South Carolina painting calendar art.
I’ve learned a lot about how other artists work and what works for me — at my age. For example, I don’t take commissions. It’s not in my nature to turn away paying work, but I need that time to experiment. I work hard at painting — seven days a week.
In the advertising and design industry, we solved communications and marketing problems that our clients were experiencing. Now, I have to create my own problems to solve. It’s challenging, but when I get it right, it’s so rewarding.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Most of my pictures are about the human condition. At times, I may use symbols or a metaphor.
Stylistically speaking, I’ve heard some say my work is a cross between realism and expressionism. I really don’t care about labels and will leave that to others. I care more about what I make. If I have an idea that is a non-narrative abstract, I want to explore it. If that idea doesn’t require paint, I still want to be able to make it.
In the commercial industry, we applied concepts to make communications stick to the viewer’s mind. You’ve seen commercials that are memorable — like the cows for Chick-fil-A. That’s creativity in action. The same is true in art. How the image is created may be the concept — like Jackson Pollock’s drips and splatters. Or, the concept may use imagery that, at the hand of the artist, makes a powerful cultural statement — like Kerry James Marshall. Most of my paintings are representational. Many are figurative. All of them are concept driven — even if the ideas aren’t obvious.
To be clear, my paintings are about me and for me. They’re human and honest. I endeavor to achieve more with paint than simply room decor. I’m not trying to create an artsy persona for myself, or make paintings about subjects that are in vogue just to be commercially successful. Paintings I’m most proud of come from my soul and communicate without trying to explain themselves. I’m okay if the work doesn’t speak to everyone. But, I want no one to doubt my commitment to the highest level of quality I’m capable of producing. I can say that paintings have connected with exhibition jurors and curators, and with collectors as far away as Europe and as close as Dallas.
A lot of painters paint what they see. Fewer create paintings of what they saw. I like to paint how I feel.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I’ve always been a drawer. From the time I was four, I remember drawing all the time. Growing up, we lived on the edge of a town in northeast Texas. I spent quite a bit of time alone wandering the fields and woods, so I’m comfortable spending time in the studio with myself.
Thanks to great teachers, by the time I left college with my art degree, I was pretty skilled with tools and techniques. But, the biggest lesson learned was that creativity supersedes technical virtuosity.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://rdmitchellcollection.com
- Instagram: @dickmitchell10
Image Credits
RD Mitchell
