Evan's Artwork

When was the last time you looked at a piece of art and you didn’t smile, you didn’t frown, and you didn’t walk away? You took a step back, widened your eyes, and said, “Oh wow.” This seems to be the common response to the absolutely intriguing work of artist Evan Mitchell. Using any materials he can get his hands on, from paint to plastic to dirt, or what he says, “just whatever happens to grab my attention at the time,” he creates some eye catching and daring pieces of modern art. Residing in Los Angeles, he is avidly pursuing his way through the city’s growing art scene.

Often following a primarily red and black theme, a mainstream audience might describe Evan’s style as dark and Gothic. In fact, he admits, “Most of my ideas come from some pretty dark places, both from my personal past and the current events of this planet.” He adds, “My art for the most part is what it is. I have my meaning and interpretations about what each piece is suppose to convey, but I like people to view my work and decide for themselves what they want it to mean. I get much more satisfaction out of that.” From his use of carefully chosen severed baby doll heads to industrial metals and electrical wires, he already expects the words “disturbing” and “creepy” to be the first description given, but he hopes to appeal to a broader range of emotions. He explains, “If people look at my art and laugh, that’s great. If they love it, that’s great. Or if it offends them, that’s wonderful too. As long as I can provoke an emotion and get someone’s mind cranking out some independent thoughts then I feel my job has been done.”

Like most of today’s younger artists of all mediums, Evan is not above utilizing the modern world to expose his artwork. He clarifies, “Thanks to the internet and most particularly MySpace.com, I can introduce and promote my work more rapidly. And in the process, I get to meet some pretty amazing people around the world who enjoy what I do.” With that, at this point in his career, his work has simply been a form of creative release. He says, “I’m very grateful that I’ve found this outlet to project my thoughtsand visions in what, I, at least, consider a positive format.” With the words “Stay True” tattooed prominently on the back of his neck, his audience is not only officially instructed to approach him with the absolute honesty he expects, but they too are assured that his work will come from a pure and sincere place of mind. So in a mundane world of the same old thing being beaten into your brain by TV, radio and the internet, keep your eyes peeled for artwork you can finally call original, and something you can finally admit made you think.

Jeff Archuleta