Madisen Glee Mitchell

Madisen Glee Mitchell grew up in an environment that actively valued the arts in many forms, including language, visual art, and performance. Coming from a family of teachers and artists, she was surrounded early on by encouragement and access. Her grandmother played a particularly formative role, ensuring that books, live music, and museum visits were part of daily life. That sustained support continues today, with her grandmother traveling long distances to attend exhibitions of Mitchell’s work. Being held by a community that encouraged curiosity, experimentation, and difference became central to how she understands creative motivation.

Although she does not hold a formal degree in art, Mitchell pursued intensive learning through high school under the guidance of dedicated teachers who emphasized perseverance and long-term commitment. She credits these mentors with reinforcing the idea that creating was not a phase or hobby, but a lifelong practice. From a young age, she knew art would remain central to her life, even as it evolved through difficulty, detours, and self-discovery.

Her work is deeply personal, shaped by hardship as much as curiosity. Mitchell describes each piece as a literal extension of her internal world, formed through trial and error rather than formal instruction. Over time, this process led her toward a style she describes as ancestral and environmental, operating as a dialogue between what has been lost and what endures. Memory, in her work, is treated as a living material, something layered rather than fixed.

Mitchell’s practice spans multiple forms and materials, with a particular focus on texture, function, and movement. Early exposure to beading and jewelry-making evolved into a sustained engagement with fiber techniques such as embroidery and macramé. These elements are often combined with sculptural approaches and kinetic forms, including mobiles and spatial works that interact with light, air, and sound. Rather than limiting her work to the wall, she is interested in how objects inhabit rooms, shift with movement, and respond to their environments.

Recurring motifs in her work include monochromatic palettes, particularly black, which she uses for its range of emotional and symbolic resonance. Through layered textures and varied finishes, black becomes multifaceted, carrying associations with elegance, mourning, the unknown, and transformation. Her pieces often exist in a space that is both refined and unsettling, inviting quiet confrontation with cycles of death, renewal, and impermanence.

Her creative process is grounded in intentional preparation. She begins by organizing her space, assembling tools and materials so they are all visible at once. Quiet is essential. Noise-canceling headphones, carefully chosen audio, and the presence of her dog nearby help her remain focused and grounded. After years of working from shared domestic spaces, she now maintains a dedicated home studio that balances comfort with function, reinforcing the seriousness of her practice.

The natural world is not a reference point so much as a foundation. Growing up in Wyoming, Mitchell spent much of her life outdoors, hiking, camping, and searching for bones, stones, and found objects across open land. These experiences continue to shape her work, which reflects an intimate understanding of natural rhythms and repetition. Life and death are not treated as opposites, but as intertwined processes that reveal beauty through decay and the sacred through the everyday.

Mitchell resists urgency in her work. When inspiration wanes, she rests rather than forces production, trusting that time and care are essential to authenticity. For her, success is measured by emotional impact. If a piece makes someone feel something, it has done its work. She remains committed to creating on her own terms, prioritizing genuineness over approval and refusing trends that feel misaligned.

She is currently developing a new body of work that incorporates light, fiber art, and taxidermy, with the goal of creating interactive, functional sculptures that operate as adjustable lamps. These pieces are intended to be atmospheric and adaptable, blending into their surroundings while maintaining a strong visual presence. Across all her work, Mitchell remains guided by a commitment to honesty, rest, and the protection of creative joy.