Marie Mitchell received a Special Recognition Art Award in “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” 2022 Exhibition for her steadfast commitment to use her extraordinary creative talent as a catalyst to raise awareness about climate change. The artist who lives in Bouvard, Western Australia is active in protecting the environment.
Marie is a champion for positive change and deserves to receive this special award and international exposure on The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website. She shares our important mission and declares, “I believe art can touch people in ways scientific data cannot. I want my work to inform the viewer and inspire them to join the healing journey of alternative thinking, speaking out and joining others in collective action to foster change.”
She proclaims, “My creative practice is driven by a deep social conscience and sense of personal responsibility. We can all do something — my something is raising awareness of what is being done and how people can get involved. I want my work to inspire hope and empower the viewer by visually articulating the issues in a way that is accessible to the public and contributes to a shift in climate change conversations.”
We are also proud to include Marie in our ongoing series about “World Changers”.
Marie combines a lifelong passion for nature with her love of the tactile and textural nature of fabric. About her artistic approach she states, “I combine unique fabrics with a variety of upcycled materials to create paintings from fabric and thread. I carefully secure tiny scraps of fabrics with free motion contemporary machine embroidery to create complexity and interest. Delicate shadows resulting from suspended stitched layers represent the delicate, ephemeral qualities found in nature.”
Her artworks have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in private collections in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States. Marie’s art can also be seen on the Earth Arts website. The Australian Earth Laws Alliance (AELA) is a national not-for-profit organization whose mission is “to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth centred governance in Australia, with a focus on law, economics, education, ethics and the arts.”
Marie also supports conservation advocacy by donating a portion of all proceeds to national non-profit environmental organizations.
Marie’s mixed media artwork “Fragile Skin II”, shown above, was included in the 10th International Mini Textile Art Exhibition “Scythia” at Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Art Museum in the Ukraine.
When Marie submitted her entry to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” exhibition she shared, “Since I am hard-wired to communicate visually, creating is a necessity like breathing, providing me with the resilience to adapt to adversity and learn from life’s experiences. Creating art that reflects my values, provides me with the courage and strength to share my imagery.”
Shown here is “Aftermath”, fabrics, acrylic paint and polyester embroidery thread, 33″ x 18″, from Marie’s “In Remembrance” series which she describes as “both a tribute and warning”.
About her “In Remembrance” series she wrote, “As the catastrophic fire events increased in frequency across Australia, I began this series as a memorial to the hardworking firefighters, the residents who lost their homes or towns and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. It is also a memorial for the countless animal lives and habitats lost pushing many to the edge of extinction.”
Marie reminds us our need to address the problem of climate change and emphasizes that it is causing “an increase in the extreme weather resulting in these events.” She asserts, “With collective action, there is still time to make a difference, by insisting that our government reduce emissions in line with global targets to reduce future risk.”
Above, Marie is working on her large and impressive work of art “On The Brink”. You can watch a video of her work in progress and see some of the steps she used to create this piece on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=2oqaR_a2hnQ
Visit Marie Mitchell’s website: mariemitchellart.com
Join Marie Mitchell on Social Media
Instagram.com/mariemitchellart/?hl=en
Facebook.com/mariemitchellartist
Thank you so much Renee for supporting my goals through this article. I am so grateful for the opportunity for my arts’ message to reach the wider global community. It is vital that we work together to promote change. Many thanks!
Marie, you are welcome. I feel grateful and honored that you submitted your art to “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience”. You have my enormous respect for your creative talent and your commitment to improving the world. I also was delighted to learn about AELA, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is “to increase the understanding and practical implementation of Earth centred governance in Australia, with a focus on law, economics, education, ethics and the arts.” I have added them to our Art & Healing Resources of Organizations & Programs.