Michelle Mitchell

I was born in Colorado and have always had a love for nature and art. I have been drawing as long as I can remember and have worked with several different art media including oils, acrylics, watercolors, pen & ink, and pencil, however my favorite is soft pastel. I am a self-taught artist and have had the privilege of working with many talented artists and fortunate enough to call several of them my dear friends. One of my best friends, an accomplished equine artist, introduced me to pastels and taught me the basics.
My paintings are created with several layers of pastels. I start with pastel blocks as a base layer and then slowly build more layers of color and eventually use pastel pencils for the details. In some places, especially and animal’s fur, there may be a dozen layers of pastel. I’m frequently asked how long a piece takes to complete. A small painting can take as little as 8 hours and a large one can take over 120 hours.
I currently reside in Buena Vista with my husband and two daughters.