Josh Mitchel is a Pittsburgh based artist and educator.

Through my work I explore various intrinsic psychological conflicts, stemming from my interest in Freud’s theoretical construct of Ego and Id.  I am specifically interested in the contrast between rational thoughts and irrational, impulse-driven behavior. Unique to each individual and in varying degrees, I believe this vacillating struggle to be part of the human experience. My paintings are in part autobiographical, but my use of the figure is intended to be universal as I address a tension that is ubiquitous.

The way cinematography can define the tone of a film, my formal decisions work in service of my conceptual underpinnings. I place heavy emphasis on form and space, and use the figure to create an enigmatic narrative. Because of my fascination with the human body, anatomy is paramount in my compositions. While often fractured, repeated, or disjunctive, my figures maintain a certain truth and plausibility. The models are often right up against the picture plane, forcefully occupying the space between the subject and the audience. Aggressive mark making, sweeping diagonals, and areas of high contrast set the stage for a theatrical opus.

My most recent works explore fracturing the figure and adding movement through a process of overlapping areas, visual stutters, and overt surface history. I employ repetition as both a formal strategy and as a surrogate for internal conflict. Broken figures, multiple appendages, and obvious pentimenti add palpable agitation. Through distorted space, manipulating the human form, and figurative elements concealed in cloth, I toil to achieve a disquieting tension that serves both as a metaphor and as a symbol for empathy with the human condition.