Chamonix

Mitchell stated that she painted “remembered landscapes which involve my feelings,” imbuing the colors and gestures within her works with deep emotion. In the somber-toned Chamonix, Mitchell’s memory of the idyllic French Alps is conflated with her anger and sadness over her father’s recent death and mother’s cancer diagnosis. Mitchell’s physical painting style can be seen in the multi-layered strokes, slashes, drips, and fingerprints that compose the image. Although her canvases appear spontaneous, unrestrained, and perhaps even violent, her process was actually slow, structured, and deliberate, involving careful planning and much thought.