Ariel Mitchell is a Brooklyn-based painter whose works delve into the dynamic interplay of colour, texture, and form. She holds an MFA from CUNY Hunter College (2021) and a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art (2007). Ariel has participated in several prestigious residencies, including the Vermont Studio Center (2007), Griffis-Orpheus Foundation in Bulgaria (2008), Arteles in Finland (2011), and SiM Reykjavik in Iceland (2013). Currently spotlighted by Hauser and Wirth's Emerging Artists platform, her work has also been featured in publications like Forbes, Whitehot Magazine, Studio Visit, and ROV 4.

Ariel's paintings are much more than just pigments on canvas. Her bold and nebulous compositions push the boundaries of traditional painting, transforming her canvases-and sometimes linen surfaces-into organic forms that seem to expand beyond their frames. Her practice has evolved from foundational figure painting and printmaking into a more abstract, experimental approach, often teetering into the realm of collage. Early in her career, she incorporated non-traditional materials like string, cardboard, and spray paint into her uniquely stretched, cut, and punctured pieces, which set the stage for her current visual language-a vivid fusion of colour, texture, and emotion.

Through her use of colour and composition, Ariel's work evokes emotions, memories, and fragments of personal experience. Her signature palette, which often includes rich hues of Phthalocyanine blue, Quinacridone magenta, and Alizarin yellow, plays with tonal contrasts, from the vibrancy of primary colours to the depth of cold blacks and titanium whites. Each brushstroke, whether slow and methodical or fast and forceful, serves as a record of a moment in time, creating an intricate dance of light and movement. Her titles provide a narrative scaffold, inviting viewers to explore the layers of her works and uncover their own connections to the emotions and stories embedded within.