Truth in Animals: Linda Mitchell

Mitchell’s mixed media paintings are populated by animals, both real and imagined. In these narrative works, the animals often become surrogates for human beings and their emotional lives. Some of the animal figures, including those made from fabric and Play-Doh, speak directly to the child within and the vulnerable, delicate places of the viewer’s own past. Mitchell’s highly textured pieces are made with painted and photographic images, fabric and found objects. They coalesce into intricate and surreal scenes, reflecting life’s emotional complexity. By working intuitively, the artist layers materials, images and dream-like scenarios. Inevitably, the artwork ends up expressing aspects of her life or problems she is working through. Continually arising are reflections of the artist’s inner world and personal history, and her concerns for social equality and global survival.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website