Alfred R. Mitchell Estate Paintings

Alfred Richard Mitchell was an adventurous young man, who, as a teenager, traveled from his native Pennsylvania to Nevada during the Gold Rush where he prospected for gold. He migrated to southern California, and in 1913, began training at the San Diego Academy of Art. This was the city’s oldest art school, having been founded by Maurice Braun, who regarded Mitchell as one of his most important pupils. He encouraged Mitchell to return to his native state and study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Enrolling there in 1916, Mitchell was greatly influenced by New Hope impressionists Daniel Garber and Edward Redfield. His style turned from Braun’s French influenced impressionism towards the Pennsylvania school’s stronger brush work and bold color.

Mitchell returned to San Diego in the early 1920s and became a major influence in the art community. He was president of the San Diego Art Guild in 1922-23; he helped found the Laguna Beach Art Association; and in 1918, the La Jolla Art Association, where he exhibited his works regularly. Along with Braun and other artists and sculptors, Mitchell formed the Associated Artists of San Diego in 1929, which as a group represented the strong professional art community that had developed there.