Well known for his figurative works, landscapes, and still lifes, Dean L. Mitchell was born in 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and reared in Quincy, Florida. He is a graduate of Columbus College of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. In addition to watercolor, he is accomplished in other mediums, including egg tempera, oil, and pastel.

His art can be found in corporate and museum collections across the country, including the Arkansas Art Center, the Autry Museum, Canton Museum of Art, Gadsden Art Center, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Mississippi Museum of Art, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, St. Louis Art Museum, and the Library of Congress.

He has received more than 400 awards, including First Prize from the T. H. Saunders International Artists in Watercolor Competition, London, England; the American Watercolor Society’s Gold and Silver Medals; Allied Artists of America’s Gold Medal in Watercolor and Oil; the Thomas Moran Award from the Salmagundi Club in New York; the Loa Ruth Sprung Award from the National Watercolor Society, Phoenix Art Museum; a Silver Medal Award for works on paper at the Phoenix Art Museum’s West Select; and for three years in a row, the Best in Show Award from the Mississippi Watercolor Society’s Grand National Competition.

In 2017 Mitchell was one of eight artists showcased in Woolaroc Museum’s The Best of the Best Retrospective Exhibit and Sale, and he won the Wells Fargo Two-Dimensional Award at the Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale. Mitchell is an eight-time winner of the Autry Museum Award for Watercolor at the Masters of the American West, most recently in 2017. In 2015 he received a Gold Medal from the American Watercolor Society and the Donald Teague Memorial and Robert Lougheed Memorial Awards at the Prix de West. In addition, one of his paintings was recently purchased for the permanent collection of the Rockwell Museum, Corning, New York. At the 2014 Buffalo Bill Art Show & Sale, Mitchell received the William E. Weiss Purchase Award. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society.

Mitchell and his work have been featured in American Artist, Art News, Artist, Christian Science Monitor, Fine Art International, the New York Times, and Western Art Collector.

MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS

American Jazz Museum, Kansas City, MO

Gadsden Art Center, Quincy, FL

The Margaret Harwell Art Museum, Popular Bluff, MO

Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO

Saint Louis Museum of Art, St. Louis, MO

Arkansas Art Center, Little Rock, AR

The Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA

Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, KS

Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH

Hubbard Museum of the American West, Ruidoso Downs, NM

Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, MO

RECENT AWARDS (Dean has won well over 400 awards during his career as a professional painter.)

2016 Awards

Southern Watercolor Society 39th Annual Exhibition - Gold Award

Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition - Best in Show

Signature American Watermedia Exhibition - First Place

Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors - The Morrison Family Award

Florida Watercolor Society 45th Annual Exhibition - Margaret Cornish Debarba Award

San Diego Watercolor Society 36th International Exhibition - Second Place

National Watercolor Society 96th International Exhibition - Master's Award

Shenzhen International Watercolor Small Image Exchange Exhibition - China Baiqi Award

Transparent Watercolor Society of America 41st Annual Exhibition - Skyledge Award

2015 Awards

Transparent Watercolor Society of America - Dorothy Driehaus Mellin Award

Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors - Judge's Choice Award

Florida Watercolor Society 44th Annual Exhibition - The Societies Award

Southern Watercolor Society 38th Annual Exhibition - Bronze Award

Miniature Art Society of Florida 41st International Show - First Place Transparent Watercolor

The Art Renewal Center/ARC Internal Competition - Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine Award

Alaska Watercolor Society Exhibition - Best In Show

Prix De West - Robert Lougheed Memorial Award

Prix De West - Donald Teague Award for best work on paper

American Watercolor Society Exhibition - Gold Medal

2014 Awards

Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition - 1st Place

Buffalo Bill Art Show - Purchase Prize Award

Huntsville Museum - 24th Annual Gala, Featured Artist

Qingdai Modern Art Museum - International Watercolor Exhibition

2013 Awards

Florida Watercolor Society 42nd Annual Exhibition The Winslow Homer Award

Kentucky Watercolor Society 36th Annual National Exhibition First Prize

American Artist Professional League 85th Grand National Exhibition Winsor & Newton Award

American Watercolor Society 146th Annual Exhibition Walser Greathouse Medal

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 25th Tri-State Juried Exhibition Silver Award

Southern Watercolor Society 36th Annual Juried Exhibition Best in Show

Pikes Peak Watercolor Society International Watermedia 2013 Legacy Best in Show Gold Award

Mississippi Watercolor Society 28th Grand National Exhibition Second Place

Keystone National 2013 Juried Exhibition of Works on Paper Rose and Don Klaiber Memorial Award

Watercolor Missouri International 2013 Award of Excellence

Watercolor Society of Alabama 72nd National Exhibition â€œBoard of Directors Award

National Society of Painters in Casein & Acrylic 59th Annual Juried Exhibition Jody and Elias Newman Memorial Award

37th National Exhibition Transparent Watercolor Society of America John C. Dioszegi Memorial Award

Miniature Art Society of Florida 38th International Exhibition 3rd Transparent Watercolor

The 80th International Exhibition of Fine Art in Miniature The Miniature Painters, Sculptors & Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. First Place Watermedia

Kansas Watercolor Society Best in Show Nestor Weigand Jr. Patron Purchase Award

West Select Phoenix Art Museum Invitational Silver Award Works on Paper

Masters of the American West Autry National Center Award for Watercolor

2012 Awards

Miniature Art Society of Florida 37th Annual International Exhibition Judge's Second Choice

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 2012 Brush Strokes Exhibition Award of Excellence

Watercolor Society of Alabama 71st National Exhibition Patron's Fine Art Award

Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous USA 2012 KWS Award 2nd place

Transparent Watercolor Society of America 36th Annual Exhibition Donors Award

Southern Watercolor Society 35th Annual Exhibition Donors Award

Adirondacks 2012 National Exhibition of American Watercolors The W.B. Romeling Memorial Award

American Watercolor Society 145th International Exhibition Margery Soroka Memorial Award

National Watercolor Society 92nd Annual Exhibition Past President Award

41st Annual Florida Watercolor Society Exhibition Guy Beattie Award

Shanghai Zhujiajiao International Watercolor Biennial Exhibition Award of Excellence

Philadelphia Watercolor Society 112th Anniversary International Exhibition Bellows Memorial Award

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 24th Tri-state Silver Award

West Select Gold Award for Best Work on Paper, Museum Purchase, Best in Show

Masters of the American West 2012 Autry National Center Award for Watercolor

Kansas Watercolor Society Cash Award and Patrons Purchase Award

Miniature Art Society of Washington D.C. First in Watercolor

2011 Awards

Florida Watercolor Society 40th Anniversary Exhibition 2011 Winslow Homer Award

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 23rd Tri-State Exhibition Award of Excellence

Adirondacks 30th National Exhibition of America Watercolors Forest Runes Award

Southern Watercolor Society 34th Annual Exhibition Watercolor Society of Georgia Award

Keystone National 2011 Juried Exhibition of works on paper Best of Show

111th Anniversary International Exhibition of Works On Paper Delphine Poussot Award for Best Rendering of Light

Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition 2011 Best in Show

Western Select Silver Award for work on Paper

Masters of the American West Autry National Center award for watercolor

National Watercolor Society 91st Annual Exhibition Alice Leonard Memorial Award

2010 Awards

Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition 3rd Place

Paint America 2009, Grand Purchase Award Miniature Category

Southern Watercolor Society 33rd Annual Exhibition Bronze Award

American Watercolor Society 143rd Annual Exhibition NY, NY Silver Medal

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 21st Tri-State Exhibition Gold Award

The 29th Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors, The Beechmont First & Gold Medallion

Florida Watercolor Society Non-members Show, First Place

The American Artist Professional League 82nd Grand National Exhibition, Winsor Newton Award

National Watercolor Society 90th Annual Exhibition, The Past Presidents Award

Transparent Watercolor Society of America 34th Annual National Exhibition, John Dioszegi Memorial Award

Salmagundi 33rd Annual Juried Painting & Sculpture Exhibition for Non-members Dale Meyer's Medal Award for Watercolor

Florida Watercolor Society 39th Annual Exhibition, Guy Beattie Award

Keystone National 2010 Exhibition of Works on Paper, 1st Place

Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition 2010, Nestor Weigand JR. Purchase Award

2009 Awards

Southern Watercolor Society 32nd Annual Best in Show

Tallahassee Watercolor Society 21st Tri-State Exhibition Best in Show

Transparent Watercolor Society of America 33rd National Exhibition John Singer Sargent Award

Salmagundi Club 32nd Annual Non-Members Exhibition Forbes Magazine Award

Florida Watercolor Society 38th Annual Exhibition Guy Beattie Award

California Watercolor Association 40th National Exhibition CWA Signature Members Award III

Watercolor West 41st Annual Exhibition M Graham Company Award

Miniature Painters, Sculptors/Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. 76th Annual International Exhibition Second Place Portraiture

Allied Artists of America 96th Annual Exhibition Dale Meyers Cooper Medal for Watercolor

Keystone National 2009 Juried Works on Paper Exhibition Phantom Canyon Ranch and Col Arts Americas Award

American Artist Professional League 81st Grand National Exhibition NY, NY Alma M Preede Memorial Award

Miniature Art Society of Florida 35th Annual International Exhibition Second Place

Philadelphia Watercolor Society 109th Annual International Exhibition of Works on Paper Newman Galleries Award for Excellence

Kansas Watercolor Society National Exhibition Charles & Ruth Sanderson Memorial Award

Kentucky Watercolor Society Aqueous USA 2009 Preston Art Center/St. Cuthberts Mill/Silver Brush Limited Award

2008 Awards

Missouri Watercolor Society National Exhibition Award of Excellence

Seaside Art Gallery 17th International Miniature Art Show, Nags Head, N.C. First Place

Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Watercolors 27th Annual Sallie and Gannon Kashiwa Award

The Miniature Painters, Sculptors and Gravers Society of Washington, D.C. 75th International Fine Arts Miniature Third Place Watermedia

Salmagundi Club 32nd Annual Non-Member's Exhibition NY, NY Thomas Moran Memorial Award

American Artist Professional League 80th Grand National Exhibition Frank C Wright Medal of Honor Watermedia

SOLO MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS

2015

Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, Kansas - A PLACE A MENTAL SPACE

2012

Gadsden Art Center, Quincy, FL "Rich in Spirit"

2010

Canton Museum of Art, Canton, OH

2009

Leepa Rattner Museum of Art, Tarpon Springs, FL (St. Pete College) Heart and Soul

2008

Cornell Museum of Art & American Culture, Delray Beach, FL Everything's a Portrait

Greater Denton Arts Council, Center for Visual Arts, Denton, TX Imperfect Beauty

2007

University of West Florida Art Gallery, Pensacola, FL

INVITATIONAL EXHIBITIONS

2011