Projects | Maundy Mitchell Photography

Knitted Together, Part III: Kieran

Homage to Titian & Manet

Knitted Together is a personal project that I began this year. This is Part III: Kieran

I strive for my work to celebrate the human experience. Empathy is always a key component, which is sometimes achieved by including the viewer as a part of the installation.

Knitted Together is a collection of portraits of people darning red garments from wool. Each portrait is printed on canvas and framed. In each, a strand of red yarn leaves the frame and leads back to one shared central ball of yarn.

In each portrait, the red garment is at a different stage of progress. One wraps a person’s neck. One is held in front and trails down the subject’s leg. Each grants insight to an aspect of the subject’s life, including love, loss, birthing, caregiving, sexuality, or outlook: sometimes guarded, or sometimes on display.

This body of work will grow, with new portraits being added. It is about individuals, humanity, and connections. We are distinct, but we exist together.

Portrait of Kieran for Knitted Together: Part III. In this homage to Titian and Manet, she is lying on a fainting couch, partially nude, knitting. A chicken is standing at the end of the couch.

This portrait of Kieran began with the seed of an idea. Kieran and I were chatting and she jokingly said that she needed a “fainting couch.” I wondered how the term came about, so I searched online. I discovered that Victorian women, who often fainted from wearing tight corsets, often had this style of sofa in their homes in order to recover.

An online photo of a fainting couch reminded me of Edouard Manet’s painting, Olympia, which he completed in 1863, and Titian’s Venus of Urbino, completed around 1532.

Kieran loved the idea of a portrait of her for Knitted Together as a homage to Titian and Manet. She’s an artist and an actress and she loves art and art history.

Two photos side-by-side: Titian's Venus of Urbino and Manet's Olympia — Left: Venus of Urbino, Titian, 1532 – Right: Olympia, Edouard Manet, 1863

Manet’s painting was clearly a nod to Titian’s. I made lots of comparisons between the two paintings, and noted the artists’ choices of body language (submissive vs. confident), composition, color, pattern, texture, and symbolism. Their use of animals each had a different intent as well.

In Venus of Urbino, the dog is meant to suggest loyalty and domesticity. The fact that it is sleeping suggest passivity. On the other hand, the cat in Olympia is meant to suggest mystery and rebelliousness. It’s placed in the shadows and it stares at the viewer, hinting at witches’ cats and darkness.

For my portrait of Kieran, I wanted a similar composition, along with harmonious colors, patterns, texture, and an animal. Kieran’s personality is neither a domestic, submissive dog nor a witchy cat. It’s something more like a chicken, which is domestic, yet definitely does its own thing!

Two behind the scenes images of the set before portrait session for Knitted Together, Part III: Kieran
Left photo is the set, right photo is a closeup of the chicken in a pet carrier

Because I used to have chickens, I know that each breed has a certain personality. I wanted to find a Rhode Island Red. They are not only the perfect personality – friendly and curious, but a great color for our portrait. Our wonderful friends, the Freckers, happen to have one and let us borrow her.

My assistant, Cambria, used to judge chickens at fairs. She swiftly and gently caught the chicken. We gave the chicken lots of meal worms, and she seemed to enjoy the photo session!

Two behind the scenes photos from Knitted Together, Part III: Kieran - Assistant Cambria Hobbs steaming fabric and with a chicken — Assistant and “chicken wrangler” Cambria Hobbs

Behind the scenes during portrait session for Knitted Together, Part III: Kieran - Maundy taking photos and Kieran smiling at Maundy holding a chicken

Behind the scenes photo from Knitted Together, Part III: Kieran with a chicken

You can read Parts I and II of Knitted Together HERE

Knitted Together, Part II: Shirley

Knitted Together is a personal project that I began this year. This is Part II: Shirley.

I was recently in a conversation with an artist friend. She asked herself the question, “Can art DO something?” She meant something besides just existing as a passive form of entertainment. She and I both know that it can. Art can inspire, provoke curiosity, sadness, excitement, or hope. It can impel political or social change. It can spark empathy and connection.

I strive for my work to celebrate the human experience. Empathy is always a key component, which is sometimes achieved by including the viewer as a part of the installation.

This body of work will grow, with new portraits being added. It is about individuals, humanity, and connections. We are distinct, but we exist together.

Knitted Together: Shirley
A portrait of a woman knitting with red yarn and a bear on the floor beside her — *Knitted Together*: Shirley

This project began as an installation in my studio window in January. It will grow to include many portraits. Here is a cell picture of the project’s beginning, set up in my studio window, with the first three canvases.

Knitted Together window display at Maundy Mitchell Photography, 62 Main Street, Plymouth, NH - February 2023 — The current window display at my studio, 62 Main Street, Plymouth, NH

You can read Part I of Knitted Together HERE

Introducing “Knitted Together”

A New Personal Project

I’m happy to introduce a new personal project titled Knitted Together. My work overall celebrates the human experience. Empathy is always a key component, which is sometimes achieved by including the viewer as a part of the installation.

Knitted Together is a collection of portraits of people darning red garments from wool. Each portrait is printed on canvas and framed. In each, the red yarn leaves the frame and leads back to one shared central ball of yarn.

In each portrait, the red garment is at a different stage of progress. One wraps a person’s neck. One is held in front and trails down the subject’s leg. Each grants insight to an aspect of the subject’s life, including birthing, caregiving, sexuality, or outlook: sometimes guarded, or sometimes on display.

This body of work will grow, with new portraits being added. It is about individuals, humanity, and connections. We are distinct, but we exist together.

"Knitted Together" - Cindy. A portrait of a woman standing, crocheting a red garment as the yarn enters the foreground and goes out of the frame. ©Maundy Mitchell 2023 — Cindy

"Knitted Together"- Michael - A portrait of a man seated, knitting a red scarf that is wrapped around his neck as the yarn enters the foreground and comes out of the frame. ©Maundy Mitchell 2023 — Michael

Knitted Together will begin as an installation in my studio window in February. It will grow to include many portraits. Here is a cell phone photo of the project’s beginning, set up in the studio with the first two framed canvases.

A cell phone photo of the Knitted Together project beginning, with two portraits printed on canvas, framed, on easels, with strands of yarn connecting them to a large ball. — A cell phone photo of the *Knitted Together* project beginning, with two portraits

New Hampshire Now

A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State

I’m pleased to have a small part in a big project. “New Hampshire Now,” is a nearly three-year project which highlights daily life in the state. The idea came from the seventh NH Artist Laureate and award-winning photographer, Gary Samson.

Samson was inspired by photography of the Farm Security Administration documenting life in America during the Great Depression. As president of the New Hampshire Society of Photographic Artists (NHSPA), he brought up this idea as a long-term, state-wide project. Soon, NHSPA and the New Hampshire Historical Society joined forces, along with seven other partnering organizations, to produce a book, “New Hampshire Now: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State.”

New Hampshire NOW: A Photographic Diary of Life in the Granite State book cover — NH NOW book – front cover

Forty-six NHSPA member photographers from around the state submitted photos for the project. The work is a collection of images of people, places, culture, and events in New Hampshire. The resulting archive of more than 10,000 images will be preserved at the New Hampshire Historical Society, and a representative sampling will be featured in the book and in eight exhibitions around the state in October 2021.

The limited-edition hardcover book features more than 250 photographs and an introduction by NH author Howard Mansfield. It is a completely New Hampshire-made product: created by New Hampshire artists; designed by Peter E. Randall Publisher of Portsmouth; printed by Puritan of Hollis; and printed on paper produced by Monadnock Paper Mills of Bennington, founded in 1819 and the oldest continuously operating paper mill in the United States.

Photography Editors: Gary Samson, Daniel Gingras, and Michael Sterling; Foreword by New Hampshire Historical Society President William H. Dunlap; Preface by Gary Samson; Introduction by Howard Mansfield.

I became a member of the NHSPA and learned of this project toward the end, so my contribution is small, but I’m happy to have one photo included in the book and exhibitions. The photo is from my personal project called “Social Distancing: Images of a Small Town,” scenes from around my town during the first pandemic lockdown in 2020.

Two sisters look out their window during the pandemic 2020, when remote learning first began.

You can buy the book at any of the exhibitions starting October 1, or from the NH Historical Society.

Exhibitions – Opening October 1, 2021

Belknap Mill Society, Laconia

Davidow Center for Art & Design, Colby-Sawyer College, New London

Historical Society of Cheshire County, Keene

Millyard Museum, Manchester Historic Association, Manchester

Museum of the White Mountains, Plymouth State University, Plymouth

New Hampshire Historical Society, Concord

Portsmouth Historical Society, Portsmouth

Tillotson Center, Colebrook

A poster panel listing the participating photographers for the NH NOW project

Protest Portraits – Final Installation

On April 24, my team and I installed the traveling, life-size Protest Portraits exhibit for the last time, at Lawrence Academy, near Boston, MA. There, they have been intentional about equipping their community with the skill of listening, and guiding them toward courageous conversations and strategies toward antiracism. Faculty incorporated the exhibit into their curriculum.

a collage of cell phone photos installation of Protest Portraits exhibit at Lawrence Academy in April 2021

Though the work of antiracism is not done, the exhibit was in need of repair and full time care. I have donated the materials to the theatre department at Lawrence Academy, who will make good use of the steel frames and plywood. Thank you to Laurie McGowen, Dina Mordeno, and Joel Sugarman, who collaborated to bring Protest Portraits to the community at Lawrence.

I am happy that we were able to install Protest Portraits at six institutions from summer 2020 to date. The exhibit may take another form – we’re considering projection media – and individual portraits may continue to appear in other exhibits.

Many people helped to bring this exhibit to fruition – the protest organizers, the people who trusted me to create their portraits, those who helped to build it, move it, install it, and/or donate to help make these things happen. Thank you all. You can read about many of them, and see more about the exhibit HERE.

The work is not done, so I’ll keep looking for ways to help resolve racism. I hope the Protest Portraits exhibit encouraged dialogue, engagement, and change.

Protest Portraits Exhibit Update

Spring 2021

It is not enough to simply declare oneself not a racist. I believe each of us has to actively do something to reverse the course of racism in this country. It will be different for each of us.

My team and I will be moving the Protest Portraits exhibit out of storage soon and we’ll do some necessary repairs and maintenance. Next, we’ll install it at Lawrence Academy, a private college preparatory boarding school in Groton, Massachusetts, where teachers have included it in their curriculum. The exhibit will be on the commons there from April 24 – May 8.

The Commons at Lawrence Academy. Photo courtesy of Laurie MacGowen

Protest Portraits is a large-scale outdoor art installation. It provides an ongoing presence of peaceful demonstration and protest. Life-sized portraits of protestors with their signs are displayed on oversized panels. These are arranged in public spaces with quotes from each individual on why they are there.

The Protest Portraits Exhibit at the New Hampshire State House, September 2020

How This Project Began:

Shortly after the murder of George Floyd, I decided to support the Black Lives Matter movement with this traveling outdoor art exhibit. In mid-June of 2020, I began photographing people who attended protests that were held on the common outside my studio. I set up my studio during two protests and photographed 42 people.

Live protests always bring with them an element of confrontation. People who do not fully understand the premises of the protest might not approach the event or try to understand it.

The Protest Portraits exhibit removes the elements of adrenaline-filled confrontation from the experience. Anyone now has the opportunity to approach these individuals silently and without personality barriers, to look into their eyes and to read their stories.

My hope is that this exhibit will allow many new people to arrive at an understanding of what this movement is about by being able to reflect on the individual messages without the proximity of potential discord.

The first installation of this exhibit was on the Plymouth, NH, town common, where the protests had been held. It was a great success, with overwhelming support from the community. It was subsequently installed at several institutions, including Plymouth State University and the New Hampshire State House.

You can read more about this project, including the exhibits, publications and awards HERE.

Eleven New Bronze Awards

The Portrait Masters Awards & Accreditation

I am proud to announce that eleven of my portraits have each won a bronze award in the International Portrait Masters Awards competition & accreditation program, and three earned the merit “Bronze with Distinction.”

Nearly 11,300 images were submitted from around the world and were judged anonymously by thirteen international, renowned photographers. The judging criteria involves not only the technical aspects of a portrait, but the emotional aspects as well. The accumulation of accreditation points is based on a judging system which also takes into account styling, composition, focus, lighting, connection, posing, post production, and overall technique and presentation.

In 2017, I began the process of submitting images biannually to the program, which is for portrait photographers of all genres worldwide. It recognizes the highest professional standard through judging, awards, and the accumulation of points to three levels of accreditation.

In September 2019 I achieved the level of Portrait Masters Associate Photographer and am now working on the next level, Master Photographer. The next round of entries will be in May 2021.

This process is another way I can continue to grow, to learn and perfect techniques in my art. I am grateful to everyone who trusts me to create portraits for you. Thank you.

Bronze with Distinction Award in the Movement category: Ashley with Silk Fabric. You can see more from her photo session HERE.

Black and white portrait of dancer, dancing with silk fabric — Bronze with Distinction Award in the Movement category: Ashley with Silk Fabric

Bronze with Distinction Award in the Teen & Senior category: Portrait of Abby. You can see more from her photo session HERE.

Black and white portrait of teenage girl wearing a wide-brimmed hat and vintage swimsuit — Bronze with Distinction Award in the Teen & Senior category: Portrait of Abby

Bronze with Distinction Award in the Contemporary Portrait category: Portrait of Richard. You can see more from this session HERE.

Portrait of older man with white hair — Bronze with Distinction Award in the Contemporary Portrait category: Portrait of Richard

Bronze award in the Teen & Senior Portrait category: Portrait of Mattie. You can see more from this senior photo session HERE.

Portrait of teenage girl in a pink dress — Bronze in the Teen & Senior Portrait category: Portrait of Mattie

Bronze award in the Family & Group Portrait category: Kathy & Family. You can see more from this three-generation session HERE.

Three-generation family portrait, three women and a young boy — Bronze award in the Family & Group Portrait category: Portrait of Kathy & Family

Bronze award in the Teen & Senior category: Portrait of Mackenzie. You can see more from her session HERE.

Portrait of teenage girl wearing a beaded gown — Bronze award in the Teen & Senior category: Portrait of Mackenzie

Bronze award in the Teen & Senior category: Mackenzie with Flowers. You can see more of her session HERE.

Senior photo of girl in a pink gown, with flowers — Bronze award in the Teen & Senior category: Mackenzie with Flowers

Bronze award in the Movement category: Samantha – Protest Portrait I. You can see more from this session in the Protest Portraits series HERE.

Black and white portrait of woman, flipping her braids in the air — Bronze award in the Movement category: Samantha – Protest Portrait I

Bronze award in the Teen & Senior Portrait category: Tristan. You can see more from this session HERE & HERE.

Portrait of teenage boy wearing equestrian gear — Bronze award in the Teen & Senior Portrait category: Tristan

Bronze Award in the Movement category: Ashley with Blue Fabric. You can see more from this photo session HERE.

Portrait of dancer wrapped in sheer blue fabric — Bronze Award in the Movement category: Ashley with Blue Fabric

Bronze Award in the Movement category: Ashley in Black Dress. More from her session HERE.

Portrait of dancer, dancing in a black dress — Bronze Award in the Movement category: Ashley in Black Dress

Artlines National Magazine Cover

I’m honored to have my work on the cover of Artlines magazine for their winter 2021 issue. Artlines is a bi-annual publication by Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA). The mission of the WCA is to create community through art, education, and social activism.

The Artlines design team chose my portrait called “Nakiya,” from the Protest Portraits series. The team felt that a cropped version, with some of her features removed, would be a strong representation for all black women. Co-editor Shantay Robinson wrote, “[Nakiya’s body language] and the words on her shirt speak to the impetus of last summer’s movement. Not being able to breathe is every black woman’s struggle. This portrait of a black woman is suggestive of the work black women have continually done…”

In a letter from the co-editor, Shantay Robinson wrote: “This issue of Artlines celebrates a change in our culture – one where the public is becoming more cognizant of racial inequities. 2020 was a pivotal time for the Black Lives Matter Movement, as the year’s protests were the largest with its inclusion of a significant number of allies. In an effort to support the movement, I thought creating an Artlines issue highlighting the socio-political power of art would extend the conversation into 2021. The Black Lives Matter murals that have been painted on streets in cities across the U.S. helps the energy that was present this summer live on after all the protestors retreated back to their homes. The murals are a reminder to the protestors that their work was not in vain and to the opposition, this work will continue.

“The work the authors in this issue have done allows readers to see varied kinds of injustices that happen and approaches to social justice there are. These women are writing about justice in the form of ableism and capitalism. They are thinking about art as a tool for social change existing not only in the U.S. but globally. By telling stories of people with disabilities who overcome the odds to explaining how capitalism oppresses and colonizes people, these authors make us think about how we may be complicit in the oppression of others. And once we understand our role in other’s oppression, we can change the way we interact with the world.

“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” –Alice Walker

You can read the entire Winter 2021 issue of Artlines for free HERE.

Nakiya, from the Protest Portraits series

Plymouth Magazine Feature

Many thanks to Plymouth Magazine for including the Protest Portraits exhibit in an excellent article about the Black Lives Matter movement at Plymouth State University.

The exhibit was displayed in front of the Hartman Union Building last fall as part of PSU’s initiative to address racism.

You can download and read the entire issue for free here: https://www.plymouth.edu/magazine/

Winter 2021 article about the BLM movement at PSU, including the Protest Portraits exhibit in the fall of 2020.

Women’s Caucus for Art National Feature

The National Women’s Caucus for Art (WCA) distributes a monthly newsletter to its members. This year, they have a new section called “FIRED UP Activist Art.”

I was honored to be the first featured artist in the January newsletter. My Protest Portraits exhibit was recognized as a contribution to the anti-racism movement.

Protest Portraits, a life-size traveling exhibit of black and white portraits, was exhibited last summer at five schools and universities, and was also installed at the State House in Concord, NH.

Installations of the exhibit will resume in the spring, starting at Lawrence Academy in Groton, MA.

You can read more about the exhibit here: https://maundymitchell.com/protest-portraits/