Retired professor Annette Mitchell is one of the most grounded and dedicated artists I’ve had the opportunity to be influenced by. The 2013 Spring semester was Annette’s last semester teaching at Plymouth State University. She had been teaching in the Art department since 1979 and retired as the Drawing Program Coordinator. Since retiring Annette hasn’t slowed in her art making. Her current solo show at Inspire 2 Knit and Tea is representative of her enthusiasm for the creative process. The show consists of eight recent prints roughly 24″ by 36″ in size. Sunday September 29th at 6:00 PM her opening attracted a substantial group of local artists. Mike Heitz and Kayla Lafond, both Plymouth State seniors, were in attendance.
Annette’s prints have a strong voice that is executed in the swift and decisive black lines. Textural and gritty shapes nestled into the composition balance her robust marks. When stepping back from the work they are indicative of hieroglyphic or arabesque symbols. Overall the prints possess strength and nurturing that is difficult to achieve in a darker color pallet. The unique quality of the work is derived from the signature printing process used. Annette’s medium allows her to first make a distinctive linear shape with sumi ink. The prints are finished by rolling water based ink or acrylic paint onto shaped foam matrixes. Once their matrixes are coated with medium she is able to transfer the paint or ink onto the paper through using a hand barren. The elimination of the press allows her to work larger and without an intrusive plate edge. Annette has been working this way for a number of years even writing a book titled Foam is Where the Art is: New Ways to Print.
In her current series she is creating abstracted images from memories of experiences in specific locations of the White Mountains. In her piece Thru The Pass she is depicting her experience of climbing Mount Washington. She says, “This piece seems to summarize my feelings about climbing the highest mountain in NH. The landscape is dramatic, beautiful, and ever changing.” Her art holds a special place in the minds of viewers that have also experienced these majestic landscapes, struggled up the same rock and dirt to higher ground. She is successful in “pay(ing) homage to the power and joy of New Hampshire’s White Mountain environment.”
Inspire 2 Knit and Tea is a local yarn shop located on the corner of Yeaton Road and Tenney Mountain Highway, just past Walmart on the left. Annette also is currently showing at the Gallery At Red Gate Farm 188 Highland Street, Plymouth until October 20th. I urge anyone with either an interest in art or the outdoors to spend some time with her creations