Alfred Mitchell

San Diego Academy of Art, San Diego Alfred Mitchell was born in York, Pennsylvania and was a Impressionism and Post-Impressionism painter. Mitchell settled in San Diego in 1908 and his plein-air paintings now provide a historical record of the growth of San Diego throughout the early 20th century. As a teen, Alfred Mitchell headed West to Nevada du... ring the Gold Rush where he prospected for gold and drove a coach. After this, Mitchell moved to Southern California and began training at the San Diego Academy of Art in 1913. This was the city's oldest art school, and it had been founded by Maurice Braun, who regarded Alfred Mitchell as one of his most important pupils. Braun encouraged Alfred Mitchell to return to his native state and study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Enrolling there in 1916, Mitchell studied with Joseph Pearson, and New Hope Impressionists Daniel Garber and Edward Redfield. Under these influences, Alfred's style turned from Braun's Stylistic Impressionism toward the Pennsylvania school's stronger brush work and color as well as clear light and strong outlines. In the early 1920s, Alfred Mitchell returned to San Diego and quickly became a major influence in the local art community. Mitchell was president of the San Diego Art Guild (1922-23), helped found the Laguna Beach Art Association and in 1918, the La Jolla Art Association. Along with Maurice Braun and other San Diego artists, Mitchell formed the Associated Artists of San Diego in 1929. Although much of Alfred Mitchell's art is categorized as Post-Impressionistic, many of his paintings were clearly Impressionist & as many Southern California landscape painters of the 1920s composed completed paintings within their studios, Alfred Mitchell continually painted on location in and around San Diego. He regularly included buildings in his paintings, thereby creating a invaluable record of the development of the San Diego area. Alfred Mitchell Biographical information: Nancy Moure, Edan Hughes, Peter Falk. Alfred Mitchell.net is ...Read More