About Us
CONGRATULATIONS IACA CYCLE #25
MINI-GRANT RECIPIENT, SOPHIA MITCHELL!
Click here to learn about IACA's other Cycle #25
artist mini-grant winner, Melany Bell.
The following are excerpts from her grant proposal:
I have dedicated my creative passion to capturing the depth and beauty that colors the human spirit.
Born and raised in British Columbia I was first inspired by nature around me. I began painting lessons at age nine and have continued pursuing art for over 20 years. I have explored various painting and drawing mediums, but while completing my BFA at Concordia University, realistic portraiture in oil became the center of my practice. Realism allows me to question my relationship with truth, while giving space for meaningful reflection. Observation plays a key role in my artistic process as I explore the forms, light and color that comprise my subjects.
We are meant to remember our connection with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. Through portraiture I intend to create a pause in your day. The hope is that you may connect with the subject as a mirror through which to view yourself.
In 2015 I moved to New Mexico. Here my practice was transferred to the stage with The 3 Painters and Art Explosion doing speed painting with an incredible team. I have designed and performed in corporate shows in Tanzania, Mexico, Panama and around America for clients including the NBA, Duke University, Supercell, Doterra, and Behr Paint to name a few. This dynamic art form allows me to bring my creative skills to a new, wider audience.
Ultimately, my goal is to inspire beauty and expand notions of possibility in the lives of others through art.
This grant will be used to purchase oil paints, mediums and canvases required to complete a series of paintings. During a trip to Tanzania I photographed many portraits that I wish to bring to life. They will be realistically rendered in oil on canvas, with the hopes of inspiring beauty and cross-cultural empathy. I am deeply moved by the colors and people from around the world and look forward to offering this series to others.
You may be the next grant winner! Click here to apply.
There is no specific type of artist that we focus on or primarily support. Creative expression comes in a wide variety of artistic disciplines and genres. We are looking for passion and excellence in your craft. Tell us why your work is important to you and how you hope it will impact others.
Where Eagles Soar (Isaiah 40:31)
Photo Copyright © Sophia Mitchell
Integrity: Arts & Culture Association is honored to approve Mitchell's funding request and we wish her continued success in her creative endeavors.
The above paintings are a series of oil paintings from traveling to India in 2015. They are all oil on canvas and were done to explore light, color and form while capturing the richness of life in India. "The Matriarch" is a portrait of a stoic grandmother I met in Delhi who inspires enduring strength while waiting on a step for a relative to arrive. "Pilgrimage" was based on a photo taken outside the Taj Mahal at sunrise of a woman traveling alone. "Beyond the Wall" is a moment two friends shared peeking through the holes of an intricately carved wall into the unknown distance. "The Lemonade Stand" is a woman squeezing lemons to earn money, which to me represents a meditation on doing the simple tasks that must be done in life. These four paintings of women represent different facets of life that transcend geography.
Title: "Beyond the Wall"
24 x 20, 2017
Title: "The Pilgrimage"
40 x 30, 2017
Title: The Lemonade Stand
18 x 14, 2018
Title: The Matriarch
30 x 40, 2016
