Part 1 Reed Artist Series - Marianne Mitchell - Reckless Abandonment to Resolution

"...The fourth and final phase is recognition, or recognition of resolution"
— Marianne Mitchell

It's not often that one hears an abstract painter speak of their work in specific phases. One tends to assume that non-representational art derives its process from the more non-linear "stream of consciousness" type of approach, on the order of the great Abstract Expressionists like Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollack.

Not necessarily so for Denver artist Marianne Mitchell, who, over the course of a long and distinguished career in the fine arts, has achieved a heightened awareness of what makes the sometimes elusive and hard to define creative process, "tick".

Marianne used the term "alchemist and artist" to describe herself when she graciously invited Reed Art & Imaging to her Capitol Hill studio last winter to video a demonstration of her painting process. For lack of a better term, this probably best describes the unique approach that the artist brings to her work.

"I think that's where I may differ from other abstract painters. I believe, very strongly, that the formal elements of structure, composition, value and color, [alchemy] have to mesh with that stream of consciousness [art]. That may be why I get a lot of comments from people who say 'I don't like abstract art, but I like your work and I don't know why!'".


And the three phases prior to Recognition of Resolution?

1) RECKLESS ABANDONMENT
The aforementioned 'stream of consciousness' plays a vital first step in the process; a headlong dive into the right brain nirvana that drives the average five year old to follow any random impulse that might strike their guileless fancy. In purely adult terms: NO over-thinking — NO Self-Editing.

2) ANALYSIS
The "stepping back" phase familiar to all artists. A conscious shift from right to left brain thinking. The artist's critical eye kicks in at this point to analyze what is working or not working with the piece, and what possibilities may lie within all that reckless abandon.

3) INTEGRATION
The refined craftsmanship stage of the process. A shifting between or merging of, left and right brain impulses and decisions, as the artist shapes and forms the medium into a satisfying or meaningful visual experience.

Only then can we arrive at:

4) RECOGNITION of RESOLUTION
For any artist who has ever "overworked" a painting or a piece of art; this phase is critical to the success of the final work and probably requires the most experience and discipline. Some artists/art instructors swear that one can only start to attain this level of competence after a set amount of paintings have been completed. Experience over time certainly helps but it is a subjective point that will never be fully quantifiable. In the end, it depends on the individual artist. As Marianne pointed out during her demonstration; "Some [paintings] can take three minutes, some can take three hours; it's all in the recognition of that point when the art has reached its peak".


Marianne Mitchell brings a lot to the table. Over time, she has evolved her role as fine artist into that of coach and educator with her course: The Practice of Making Abstract Art, and more recently, her workshop: Very Important exPeriences, a set of concrete steps and skills that teaches one to blend logical and intuitive thinking into a unified thought process.

Visit Marianne's work at www.mariannemitchell.com