Deborah Mitchell
Southern Cross (Spring 2020)
oil on wood panel
10.5 x 10.5 in.
$260
Being an artist in isolation is almost redundant. Most of us work alone and, indeed, need that solitude to create. Rather than the idea of home being the respite, home for me is the norm and I venture out when I need to feel human. So my daily life hasn’t changed much. But what I found changing was color. Normally drawing from the neutrals, in the last few months my palette has changed to bright, saturated, dense color. It’s almost as if I’m making up for the isolation, the lack of color and contrast in my life. Tears come more easily and being in my mid-seventies, I begin to see that this is how it will be. Will the color continue? I don’t think in the same way. I find myself missing the blue-green grays of late afternoon, the mauve of early 4:30 morning here in Maine. But it’s been an interesting ride and I intend to bring these sides together, uniting, knowing life will never be the same.
© Deborah Mitchell