Artist Statement

"Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things, which escape those who dream only by night." ~ Edgar Allan Poe

My intent is to capture a world that's been subverted by intellect. As children, we are acutely aware of the moments and experiences that shape our understanding of our lives and events. That view of the world, however, becomes polluted by culture and society as we age. Those extremes blend reality and fantasy that, as adults, we tend to visit only in our dreams.

My "Mythos" series depicts the early moments in an experience and then illustrates the steps that allow us to see beyond the surface, where flashes of stillness, anxiety, wonder and mystery present themselves through familiar and invented allegories. Those dreamlike fabrications bestow the dichotomies of good vs. evil, fantasy vs. reality, awake vs. dreaming -- and the axis that connects them all.

Process & Presentation

Process is as important to my work as the work itself. After a Mythos image has been concluded, I use a transfer technique that enhances the quality of the work. The final imagery is uniquely presented on wood panels instead of being matted and framed, and covered with a UV gloss varnish instead of glass. The imagery is shown in its raw state much like a painting. Photography to me is really a form of painting, and this process allows the viewer to see the artist’s hand in the work instead of an untouchable flawless print trapped in glass and metal.

Biography

Blue Mitchell makes his home and art in Portland, Oregon. He considers and implements many photographic techniques in his work, including Holga, pinhole, Polaroid, film and digital formats as well as alternative processes using scanners, aged paper, wax, installation, collage, acrylic transfers and hand drawing. Mitchell’s work has been published and exhibited nationally, and shown internationally via the web.

He was born in 1974 in a small town in eastern Montana, where he spent many of his formative years dreaming and exploring the vast lands of his home state. As a young man, Mitchell enlisted in the Marine Corps. After his discharge, he spent a couple years soul searching and landed at Montana State University in the Media and Theater Arts program studying film. He became enamored with photography, moved to the West Coast and ultimately earned his BFA at the Oregon College of Art & Craft in 2005. Mitchell is currently the Exhibitions Coordinator for platestopixels.com.