"Armageddon," 2021, mixed media, by Devin Mitchell confronts fears centering around Judgement Day.
From Sugar Grove, Virginia, Devin Mitchell creates artwork as a reaction to growing up in a fundamentalist environment.
“A major theme in my work is religion. Growing up in a fundamentalist Appalachian environment directly impacted how I view myself, the world and my work.
“Accepting Jesus Christ as your personal lord and savior and abiding by the laws of the King James Version Bible were hallmarks of my early life. For 22 years, I was active in the Southern Baptist Church.
“Messages of original sin, end times and eternal damnation were part of the dogmatic views I once ascribed to. This body of work has been a catharsis and vehicle in which I have been able to explore my religious fears, deconstruction and true identity.
“My process of art making is sporadic, entropic and intuitive. This body of work bridges the gap between assemblage, painting and printmaking. All materials used in my work are sourced from Appalachia. I forage local thrift stores, sides of highways and scrap yards. I feel as if the objects find me. I seek out materials that are in the process of decay and appear dirty to the eye. It is my job to give this found material a new life.
“I equate the decay and uncleanness of these objects to the intense guilt and shame that was indoctrinated into me through fundamentalism. Giving these found materials a new life has become my personal version of atonement. My work is monochromatic, relying heavily on tones of black. I paint and print in this style because of the rigid system of black and white thinking I once clung so dearly to,” Mitchell says.
The mixed-media artwork he has in the “From These Hills” exhibit is entitled, “Armageddon,” which gets its name from the war that occurs after Christ’s return to earth. Armageddon is the battle between good and evil.
“Growing up in a fundamentalist environment, the idea of original sin was seared into my impressionable brain. I chose to keep the work monochromatic because it reflected back to the black and white thinking style I once adhered to. This work confronts my fears around end times and judgment day. This work aided in confronting my past and accepting myself for who I am. When creating this work, I had to overcome my own fears and traumas. Being truthful to oneself is the hardest challenge one can face. Overall, I want the viewer to have a sense of uneasiness when standing in front of the work. The same feeling of discomfort I had while examining my past and lived experiences,” he says.
Michael Rooks, the exhibit’s juror, said of Mitchell’s mixed media piece, “Devin Mitchell’s assemblage deliberately omits details, circumventing systems of communication, in order to heighten the dramatic impact of a violent Armageddon suggested by his combination of found materials.”
Mitchell, who studied art at Emory & Henry College, Emory, Virginia, has had other exhibitions, including a solo show at Emory & Henry. He won the Outstanding Senior Award for studio art while at E&H. His artwork is on exhibit at Elderbrew in Bristol, Tennessee.
He is in the process of creating a new body of work prior to going back to school for his master’s degree.
“I think humans are intrinsically creative beings. From the paintings we paint to the buildings we build, creativity is at the foundation of humanity. Creating is as essential to humans as oxygen. I am a firm believer that every human is an artist. For example, even the way one dresses is the process of constructing an image of self and identity to the rest of the world. Aside from my work, I view the way I live my life as art. I find beauty in even the most mundane aspects of existence.
“I want to encourage every young artist in Appalachia to not stop creating. Be proud of who you are and where you are from. Never apologize for being true to yourself. This is a very stigmatized area, yet I find it to be filled with immense talent,” he says.
More of Mitchell’s artwork can be seen on his Instagram page.
