By Melissa Coleman
For Donna Mitchell art and nostalgia go hand in hand.
The artist from Hendon, near Allora, creates paintings of landscapes, still life, animals, and the occasional abstract objects.
However, portraiture is her number one passion.
An image in the form of a photograph is all she needs to encapsulate that fleeting expression that is so characteristic of a particular individual.
Ms Mitchell said she loves to capture the spirit, personality, and likeness of a person.
She grew up on a cotton farm near Wee Waa in New South Wales and recalls when she first started to learn how to draw.
“When we were flooded in during flood season, my mother taught me to draw around the kitchen table.”
“I was seven and she showed me how to draw faces in pencil, and to this day, I teach my students the same way, with the very same pencils,” she said.
It was around this time that Ms Mitchell knew she would grow up to become an artist.
“I never let go of that dream.”
“My faith in Jesus Christ has always inspired me to do what I do and the connections I make with people through my artwork is a real blessing in my life,” she said.
Over the following 30 years Ms Mitchell painted portraits of movie stars in acrylic and pastels and taught her five children how to draw as well.
“I sold the movie star portraits for $30 in the little Danish Cake Shop where I worked and that’s where I met my husband.”
As a visual arts teacher Ms Mitchell enjoys working with all mediums but prefers working with oil paint the most.
She says this gives her the greatest flexibility when trying to create a certain look or style in a portraiture.
“I love the smell of turps and love the way I can use oils to enhance my artistic style and work on several paintings at a time.”
The therapeutic nature of painting is not lost on Ms Mitchell.
She finds painting to be an outlet of relaxation, her happy place.
Over the years many styles of art have inspired and helped her regain perspective when she needed it.
Some of her creativeness comes from the Masters of painting such as Da Vinci, Cezanne, Degas and Rembrandt.
However, a strong connection to Van Gogh is prevalent in some of her artwork.
“I often see remnants of inspiration from his painting style through my own work.”
“I’ve aways been drawn to the work of American illustrator Norman Rockwell as well and have loved the way he represents all types of people in everyday life, showing the value of relationship through storytelling,” she said.
Ms Mitchell recollects a fond memory that she holds dear and one that reminds her to never give up.
“I was 18 years old and had submitted a portrait entry of Sydney’s Fish Restauranteur Peter Doyle, into the Archibald prize,” she said.
After putting boat oil into her Gemini car instead of car engine oil, the budding young artist blew the engine and needed a thousand dollars for repairs.
“I rented a Ute, put my painting in the back, and drove to Peter Doyle’s waterfront home in Watsons Bay, and asked him if he would like to buy it.”
“He pulled $1000 out of his pocket.
“That was a lot of money back then, and I was able to fix my car and to head back to the country for holidays with my family.
“I was super proud to have sold my first major portrait!”
Ms Mitchell often tells this story to her art students “to encourage them to do what they love and not to let anyone tell them they can’t pursue your dreams.”
Ms Mitchell arrived in Hendon in February this year and is building a new art studio.
“I want to continue providing art lessons for kids and adults.
If you are interested in private tutoring or a portrait, you can contact Donna Mitchell on Facebook page Donna Mitchell Art.
