Biography
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 “Board 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
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
Coors Western Invitational, Denver, CO
Prix de West Cowboy Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
2010
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
Coors Western Invitational, Denver, CO
Prix de West Cowboy Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
2009
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
Coors Western Invitational, Denver, CO
Prix de West Cowboy Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
2008
Florida State University Museum of Art, Tallahassee, FL The Story
Booth Western Art Museum, Carterville, GA The Black West: Buffalo Soldiers, Black Cowboys & Untold Stories
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
Coors Western Invitational, Denver, CO
Prix de West Cowboy Museum, Oklahoma City, OK
2007
First Invitational Exhibition of Contemporary International Watermedia Masters, Nanjing Library Exhibition Hall, Nanjing, China
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
Coors Western Invitational, Denver, CO
2006
Salon d'Arts, Colorado History Museum, Denver, CO
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
2005
Master's of the American West, Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA
2004
Foothills Art Center, Golden, CO Radiant Souls