Ann Mitchell

Meditative Spaces Found While Traversing The Razor's Edge

This body of work was created during a challenging time period when I wanted to find a place that felt undamaged by loss, even as it held echoes of it. I was drawn to create a universe that addressed a time span beyond the current moment. I wanted to create images you can meditate on…places you can lose yourself into…places that resonate to questions or memories within yourself. For me, these are pure meditative spaces…small windows into dream worlds that connect to the journeys we all take.

With found imagery, we recognize the story within an observed (or anticipated) moment. With constructed imagery, we must bring that story with us. My process starts with a written prompt that sparks an image, then using my own imagery, I search for an original that resonates … and the image evolves from there. Along the way, my own visual language emerged: home, open fields, water, trees and the tangle of vines and roots play repeating roles within this series. This is my first series using color and I've chosen to do so because both the quality and tonality of the light plays an important narrative role in the image.  My titles are to be used as guides, with the possibilities open and I’ve chosen to print them on matte paper to further their illustration quality.

The series has two approaches, the first where I was interested in creating a  solid narrative place and the second where the sense of transition is brought forward.