Ann Mitchell

Composite Imaging: Part II Themes and Practices

Webinar: Composite Imaging: Part II Themes and Practices
Saturday, August 20th, 10:00am Pacific Time, online

I'm excited to be teaching at LACP again next month - Join me in this second webinar where we will take a deeper dive into the themes and practices of artists working with composite, collage and photomontage - looking at how they have successfully created a unique visual “voice.” The webinar will include a walk through of multiple composite image files, of varying complexity, to gain a better understanding of the practical application. Suitable for all skill levels 

I've been having a great time researching such a wonderful range of contemporary artists and look forward to sharing them with you - as well as walking you through several of my own files/composites.

Photography and A Sense of Place

July 1st - August 31st, 2022
The photographers in this showcase have explored their territories with goals that range from social consciousness to the erasing or easing of assumptions. Others have found that staking out a territory can be a way of grounding oneself through a connection to a physical space and place. Not all journeys are external and it’s possible to use photography to help you search for an inner sense of place and belonging - a place that can be an anchor in time. Once again thank you to Douglas Stockdale, photographer, founder and editor of PhotoBook Journal for curating another set of engaging photobooks.

12th Anniversary Exhibition of A Smith Gallery

Currated by | Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully
Exhibition dates | June 17 to July 10, 2022
Receptions | June 25, 2022 4pmCDT in the gallery and FB Live

Honored to be included in the 12th Anniversary Exhibition of A. Smith Gallery which features Juror Award winners from past exhibitions. I love what they have brought to the photography community.

The Five Elements is a handmade, cyanotype accordion book and I drew inspiration from the Buddhist concept of the Five Sovereign Elements that make up our existence: Form, Feeling, Perception, Mental Formation and Consciousness. A video featuring the entire book can be found in my Experimental and Cyanotypes gallery.

Trees at A Smith Gallery

Juror: Kevin Tully
Exhibition Dates: April 29th - June 9th, 2022,
Receptions: April 30th and May 28th CST FB LiveVirtual walk-through with Amanda Smith and Kevin tully on April 30th and May 28th through FB Live.  Lost Light and Nothing is Lost can be viewed online and Nothing is Lost is part of the published exhibition catalog. Both images are from Chance Chronicles and Lost Light was selected for the Visitor's Award.
The Exhibition Catalog, designed by Amanda Smith, is available on their website.

Photographers and Family

May 1st - June 30th, 2022
In this showcase, I've chosen five photographers who've used the idea of family to explore their place in the world. Several have worked with their own families - while others have used photography to fill the gaps they've experienced in life. We also see the effects of outside forces, both political and economic on the most intimate of experiences. Once again many thanks to Douglas Stockdale, photographer, founder and editor of PhotoBook Journal for curating this set of family-inspired photography books - this time the subject matter really made it a hard choice with so many to choose from.

Dreams and Imaginings at PhotoPlace Gallery

Exhibition: April 28th - May 21, 2022
Juror: Susan Burnstine

In Either Case was selected for the Exhibition Gallery as part of the Dreams and Imaginings exhibition - a theme that is very close to my heart! This image is from the Razor's Edge series and more work from that set can be seen here. 

History of Photography: Notable Women Lecture

March 15th, 2022, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
LACP Members - join me for a talk on the History of Photography: Notable Women Photographers. I'll be introducing you to photographers that you might not have been aware of. Going beyond the few names that we often hear about and looking at how women helped shaped our visual history. The talk was recorded and is now on YouTube.

Afterglow: Virtual Walkthrough / Artist Talk - Registration

Sunday, March 13th, 11am - 12pm, 2022
Roswell Space
Unable to make it to the opening? Then join me and five amazing encaustic artists on a virtual walk through of Afterglow: Exploring Encaustic. You will see the exhibition as each artist will talks about their work and Roswell Space curator Jonna Lee will discuss her process.

Afterglow, Exploring Encaustic at Roswell Space

Exhibition: March 6th - March 27th, 2022
Opening Reception: Sunday, March 6th, 2-5pm
Virtual Walkthrough/Artist Talk: Sunday, March 13th, 11am-12pm Register Here
Closing Reception: Sunday, March 27th, 12-3pm

Photography and Color

March 1st - April 30th, 2022
A showcase featuring artists who have fully embraced color as a important narrative aspect in their work. From lush noir tones to delicate saturations, their color palettes help to set a tone and mood. Several explore color in its political and cultural aspects while also pushing the boundaries of traditional materials. The pandemic and lockdown play a role in several photographer's work and shows the ability of art to help us revision our experiences. Additionally,  PhotoBook Journal has reviews of six books by artists who have used color in expressive ways.

Photographers and Text

January 1st - February 28th, 2022
I searched for a wide range of approaches in putting this showcase together - much of the work is about exploration. We have a collaboration in the study of a relationship, as well as imagery that looks back at, or plays with the idea of, memories. One artist explores the marks of others. Another brings lives lived to the foreground, giving a voice to the silenced. Additionally, photobooks are such a perfect pairing of imagery and words and I'm so happy to have a guest contribution by  PhotoBook Journal with reviews of six books where text has played a strong role.

ThinkingAboutPhotography is a cross between a gallery and a journal, with bi-monthly thematic showcases featuring the work of visual artists connecting with photography.

Photography Looks at Structure: curated showcase

October 18th - December 19th, 2021
In this showcase, these five photographers have found very interesting ways to explore the subject. From intimate to urban to historic, we look at purpose, scale and the human cost of our domestic landscape. We look at what remains when a significant structure, one that changed the lives of a generation, is no longer present. We even see photographer as architect in the creation of mind-bending, often humorous, structures that challenge our assumptions.

ThinkingAboutPhotography is a bi-monthly showcase where I feature the work of artists working with photographic materials.

The Scribes: Artist's Books

Opening Reception: October 10th: 3-6pm
Webinar Virtual Walkthrough: October 24th 11am - 12:30pm
Closing Reception: November 7th, 11am - 1pm
The Five Elements: Form, Feelings, Perceptions, Mental Formations and Consciousness.
In creating this book I drew inspiration from the Buddhist concept of the Five Sovereign Elements that make up our existence. I wanted to create a space for meditation and contemplation that could function as a tool or as an object.

This book is handmade in an edition of eight copies with two artist's proofs. The series is printed with cyanotype on Arches Watercolor paper by the artist. A video on the project can be viewed in my Experimental gallery.

Photography and Time, curated showcase

August 16th - October 18th, 2021
Time is one of the foundational mechanics of photography and, because of the ability to control time, it’s a discipline that has enlarged our capacity to see beyond our own eyes. There is an interesting range in the six photographers featured here. Utilizing the mechanics of photography, several artists have transcended the technical to create magical moments: from insomnia-driven wanderings, to examining what happens even before you shoot, to creating floating, ephemeral sculptures in the air. Exploring memory and the passage of time, several artists examine that experience and the sense of longing the journey can leave us with. Throughout the showcase you will find unique voices examining our relationship to time.

ThinkingAboutPhotography is a bi-monthly showcase where I feature the work of artists working with photographic materials.

Viewpoint Photographic Art Center 30th Anniversary Exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum.

Invisible Body of Realty was selected for the 30th Anniversary of Viewpoint Photographic Art Center’s exhibition at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento this summer. The exhibition, curated by Patty Felkner, will be up until August 1st. This image is from my Chance Chronicles series.

Photography and Nature, curated showcase

June 20th - August 15th, 2021
Just finished my third showcase for 
Thinkingaboutphotography.com where I’m curating bi-monthly showcases of artists working with photographic materials. Photography and Nature features six photographers working in thoughtful partnership with nature.

Each of the six artists featured here  have a very thoughtful partnership with nature. Some of the work has been a response to our last year, the forced isolation that we all found ourselves under and turning to nature as an inspirational resource. Others seek to connect us to nature’s magical world, or draw our awareness to the consequences of our actions. Throughout the showcase, there is an understanding that the world/space we inhabit is important and should be honored.

Long Beach Museum of Art, 19th biennial Art Auction

Exhibition preview: June 3 - 27
Online auction: June 12 - 27th, 2021
I'm very happy to support the LBMA's silent auction fundraiser with my donation of Low Tide, encaustic wax and pastel over pigment print, mounted on wood, 6".

Staged Photography, curated showcase

April 11th - June 12th, 2021
I've just finished my second showcase for ThinkingAboutPhotography.com - my online journal where I curate bi-monthly showcases of artists working with photographic materials. Staged features six amazing artists: Carol Erb, Mary Daniel Hobson, Lucas Leffler, Karen Neems, Marcy Palmer and Wendi Schneider.

These artists' work runs a wide gamut of what “staged imagery” can involve. Several have found imaginative ways to transform the everyday through reinvention and abstraction, finding the power in the ordinary. While others seek to evoke a mood,  capture vanishing moments of beauty, or even include the presentation of the print as part of their staging.

2021 Member's juried exhibition at the Center for Photographic Art,

Juror: Susan BurnstineExhibition
Dates: April 10 – May 9, 2021
Saturday, April 10, 4–6pm
Virtual opening and walk-through with Juror Susan Burnstine and Director Ann Jastrab.  Lost Light can be viewed online, while Like the Moon, Burning will be exhibited in the gallery space. Both images are from Chance Chronicles.

Dusk to Dawn, exhibition at Don't Take Pictures

March 21st - May 25th 2021
The Long Way Home from The Razor's Edge. "Between the last light of day and the first rays of dawn, the world as we normally see it transforms to one in which nightclubs, all-night stores, third shift workers, and nocturnal wildlife take center stage. Spaces abuzz with activity during the day become quiet and desolate, and artificial light transforms mundane spaces into something almost magical. Photographers who work at night experience a nocturnal world that most sleep through."

Photography As Object, curated showcase

February 14th - April 10th 2021
My new curatorial project, thinkingaboutphotography.com explores artists who favor  “creating” rather than “finding” in their photography, and who invent narratives rather than observe and record them.  For my first showcase, I’m looking at artists who free photographs from walls and release them into our three-dimensional world. Some give life to the paper itself - leading the viewer on a journey as it folds and warps. Others offer, even demand, interaction that grants viewers a share of authorship/ownership experiences.

Composite Imaging with Ann Mitchell

Webinar, March 6th 2021, 10:00am - 11:30am
Los Angeles Center of Photography
Fascinated by the idea of compositing, but not really sure how to get started? Perhaps you’ve tried a few and aren’t really sure why they’re not working, or how to make them better? In this webinar, Ann Mitchell will take you from initial concept through capture, editing and output, helping you understand the five key elements that are essential to a successful composite. For the past two decades, Ann Mitchell has been actively using and teaching digital editing using Adobe Photoshop. She has helped students of all skill and age level improve their techniques and develop their vision.

Photomontage: Constructed Realities, PhotoPlace Gallery

October 30th - November 20th, 2020
The Invisible Body of Reality from The Chance Chronicles

Juried by Tom Chambers, "Creating photomontage is much more than a mechanical process.  Rather, creating photomontage is expressing a personal vision or story in a unique way. The outcome is often one with an element of surprise, beauty, or unfinished story."

LACP Benefit Auction 2020

Bidding closes, Thursday, October 29th, 2020 5pm
Los Angeles Center of Photography
This is one of my favorite images because not only do I love the image - but it’s from a magical experience at a chateaux, L'Isle Marie in Normandy. This property has belonged to the same family for over 800 years, which is pretty staggering to imagine holding onto it through the dark ages into contemporary times. My favorite experience was our return each day as we drove through this allée of trees - I loved the sense of history and when I’d look to the right I’d often catch a glimpse of a group of slowly grazing race horses. Platinum Palladium print.

Novellas, Roswell Space

September 20th - October 11th, 2020
Siobhan McClure and Ann Mitchell
This encaustic series, Home and Away, was made during the Pandemic of 2020. In this time of crazy uncertainty, of anger, fear and unrest, I’ve found myself moved towards the eternal, finding ways to ground myself - to claim space that cannot be controlled by the chaos around me. Working in a dialog between confinement and wandering, the images have centered on capturing a sense of home as both shelter, and prison, and are then balanced by my dreamlike, escapist wandering through the woods.

Reimagined Landscapes, Center for Photographic Art

August 8 – September 13, 2020
Curated by Ann Jastrab. The Reimagined Landscapes exhibition features the work of 8 female artists, each reinterpreting the landscape genre. As August, 18, 2020 officially marks the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment to the US Constitution, we honor this date with an exhibition of women photographers.
"I met Ann Mitchell at Photo Lucida, we sat across from each other and I looked at her platinum/palladium prints of scenes that she had created. Totally fictional. Sometimes terrifying. Almost always unsettling. At the very least strange. But because of her process, they were so beautiful that I believed them to be real. I still believe."
Work featured is from the Chance Chronicles series.