"Ron Mitchell: Native American Artist"
by
Nan DeVincent-Hayes, Ph.D

        It's tough being an artist, but it's even harder when you're red-green color blind, as is Ron
  "Foreman" Mitchell whose Native American art scintillates viewers, making them gasp with 
  delight. An example is "Black Moon," a 22 X 28, featuring an Indian warrior poised to fight in the
  darkness of the night, the moon's muted radiance behind him. When lights reflect on the piece,
  certain objects in the image "emerge," glowing, and illuminating an already stunning piece. And
  within the frame of the painting is a museum-style cut featuring an Indian artifact. Mitchell does 
  this with many of his works. The companion piece to this particular work is "Black Moon Rising"
  which offers an equally breath-taking artform.
        Of Cherokee heritage himself, Mitchell relies on the "old" native ways to crystallize his
  conceptions of what to paint. Typically, his meditation and dreams spark and flash through his
  mind until what he's imagined takes on a life of its own on canvas. In all of his works, his deep
  pride of his ancestry while growing up in Southwest Oklahoma comes through; this can be seen
  in "Cherokee Princess, Abandoned on the Trail of Tears," in "Medicine Woman,"
  "Thundermakers," "White Buffalo," and many others. In fact, Mitchell himself is usually featured
  wearing American Indian garb which reinforces this pride and his deep spirituality. It's ironic that
  he was born on Christmas day, 1943, in the former homeland of the Cherokees. 
        Mitchell's style is unique. It's based on the Traditional Flat method that makes use of the full
  spectrum of colors. His paintings demonstrate his mastery in combining airbrush and drybrush
  techniques, with ink, watercolors and acrylics. He's studied art since age 12, and attended
  Cameron University and the Art Instruction School. Additionally, he has received over 150 awards
  from local and national art shows, and has exhibited at galleries and shows throughout the United
  States, including such prestigious ones as Indian Art Expo in Bismarck, American Indian Arts
  Council Show in Dallas, the Intertribal Art Show in New Mexico, the American Indian Art Show
  in Houston, and many others. He's also a member of a number of art and American-Indian
  organizations.
        As an emerging artist, Mitchell's work is collected for its lively colors, accurate expression
  of the Indians' existence in America, and for its magnificence, deftness, and value. When studying
  one of his paintings, you sense the spirit and closeness of the Cherokee Nation, as well as their
  communion with nature and all that surrounds them. Somehow, Mitchell manages to incorporate
  so much detail in his work that no single painting can be taken in with just a glance; instead, it 
  pulls you in, forcing you to gaze upon it for hours. And just as there is minutia in the piece, he also
  manages to capture the essence of the subject with only a few brushstrokes here and there. It is 
  this finely honed technique of combining suggestion with peculiarities in his paintings that set him
  apart from many other painters.
        For an artist who is color blind, Ron Mitchell's work has only been enhanced--not diminished.
  Nan DeVincent-Hayes, Ph.D is a former executive director of a high end art gallery.
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  website without the permission of the author at ndhayes@att.net or 410-543-9019.