Ariel Mitchell is a Brooklyn-based painter whose works delve into the dynamic interplay of color, texture, and form. She holds an MFA from CUNY Hunter College (2021) and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2007). Ariel has participated in several prestigious residencies, including the Vermont Studio Center (2007), Griffis-Orpheus Foundation in Bulgaria (2008), Arteles in Finland (2011), and SiM Reykjavik in Iceland (2013). Currently spotlighted by Hauser and Wirth’s Emerging Artists platform, her work has also been featured in publications like Forbes, Whitehot Magazine, Studio Visit, and ROV 4.

Mitchell’s work explores boundaries and control.  Beginning with a linen surface lying flat on a table, she dribbles white acrylic and clear medium, smooshing it intuitively with her fingers. Once dry, she chooses oil colors straight from the tubes. Using a tiny brush and very little pigment, she carefully stains the white underpainting with oil paint. By separating the brush stroke from the color, she cedes control and seizes control at the same time. Always staying within the bounds of the original composition, she traverses the landscape of the composition over days and weeks, methodically moving over mountains and troughs, islands and peninsulas. This process-based approach offers the opportunity to explore the “intuitive mark”, reiterating the quick, uninhibited gesture with slow and precarious maneuvers.