Featured Artist: Beth Mitchell

Beth Mitchell is a fine art photographer specializing in ethereal, sub-aquatic figurative portraiture which explores themes around femininity and contemporary womanhood.  

Beth's work portrays an ideal representation of female beauty, her models suspended gracefully in enchanting underwater scenes which enact impactful and emotive narratives drawn from both personal and collective experiences.  Artfully amplified by the shifting and myriad moods of the water, these narratives dive deep below the surface of the female experience to examine it's connection to nature, contemporary society and culture.

Combining dark naturalism with classical influences, Beth's ingenious use of colour is vibrant and complex, with botanical pieces like "The Holocene" reminiscent of 17th century Dutch floral paintings.

In 2021, Beth became the first woman - and the first photographer - to ever win the prestigious Brisbane Portrait Prize for "No Land In Sight", a powerful self-portrait of grit, determination and courage against the bleak backdrop of the seemingly endless COVID lockdowns.  Her beautiful botanical triptych "The Holocene" was commissioned by the the Brisbane City Council and now sits in their permanent outdoor digital collection.

When we first viewed Beth's magnificent photographic art, we were blown away by the dramatic, otherworldly tableaus and her impressive technical mastery.  We very much look forward to working with Beth again and seeing what she does next!

You’ve had quite a non-linear path to becoming a fine art photographer. Could you tell us a bit about your educational and career journey up until now? Did you grow up in a creative environment?

Sure! My father was a videographer and both my parents were creative and always had their film and digital cameras out since I was born. This definitely played into choosing photography as my creative outlet. There was never a question about it, I was determined I would do something with a camera. My parents supported my passion for photography and I left school to study Photoimaging and Multimedia. It was a great way to allow space to experiment when I was pre-20’s. A lot of experimentation which put me on the path I am on now were established in those early days.

Building a successful career in fine art photography can be a notoriously tough undertaking - what has been some of the biggest challenges you have faced along your career trajectory? Do you have any advice for photographers embarking on the same path?

Wanting to be recognised as an “artist” among traditional artists has been a challenge (particularly in Australia). I didn’t take a “normal” university path, nor did I stick to a particular group which was just focussed on photography. I sometimes wonder if I could have gotten in other places quicker if I stuck to a traditional path, however there is something to be said about spending insular time developing your personal niche as well as style. I have always been driven to experiment with water in my own way. I would recommend that other photographic artists work to find their own style in their own way.

How does the choice of working within water impact your process? I imagine the unpredictability of this niche medium would bring many surprising and unplanned effects. Do you use any special equipment or lenses when you shoot?

Previously, lots of work was done in a pool environment (which has its own set of complications and logistical things to overcome) but recently I have converted my practice to being completely oceanic which sky rockets the unpredictability about the work. There is wind, swell, currents, position, locations the list goes on. I have my Ikelite housing but I like to shoot natural light so if the clarity of water or time of day is wrong the imagery can be unusable. However it is a more exciting and interesting process of creating work and every session in the water is training me or continuing my interest in understanding these conditions more and more.

Your work predominantly explores feminine themes in water- how do these two themes inform and interact with each other?

I grew up with my work. The fascination for water came very early and the feminine themes rolled out as I developed as a young woman in our contemporary society. I find that visually expressing stories underwater gives them an other worldly feel. Something safe and mystical. It is something my brain never tops revisiting. I find endless inspiration in the water and I feel like that won’t ever stop.

You’ve spoken previously about how you choose your models from women you’ve been inspired by and learned from, and how you like to document aspects of their essence to help you express certain ideas. Who are some powerhouse women who have inspired previous works, and have shaped you creatively?

For the last number of years I have been focussed on the collective, rather than the individual. So women have been chosen to represent an overarching idea or symbol. Throughout 2019 I was really focussed on body image and how beauty is perceived. I photographed Amy Sheppard who used her platform as a musician to talk about these issues in a candid way. In 2020 there were tragic climate catastrophes here in Australia which correlated so closely with land management and ancient wisdom of First Nations people so I collaborated with elders to photograph a woman in their community to tell that story. Even in my self portrait works, although they are personal, they speak to something bigger than a single perspective or experience. Creatively these experiences do create a deeper sense of purpose and satisfaction in doing this sort of work.

What are some topics around contemporary womanhood that are especially important to you? Are there some themes you have yet to explore, but would like to?

Yes there are so many. I think I am still getting comfortable around these issues. Perhaps my ability to communicate visually will come as grow older and wiser.

I would love to get into grittier themes around the male gaze in a more absurd way. I am letting things sit a bit with femininity currently as I undergo another growth period with the technical side of my practice.

Your recent botanical series “The Holocene” symbolizes varying environmental timelines and explores the impact of humanity on nature. What were some of the influences that impacted this body of work? It’s also a departure from your usual figurative style– is this going to be a new direction for you?

All of the work I have done previously involves a team of people. I was really jealous of artists who can work on their own and have no need for others to create work. The Holocene was an intense project where I got to nerd out with the technical and conceptual side of things and control every part of the outcome. I certainly enjoy having more variation with the subject matter of the work as it keeps things fresh for myself and keeps me learning and growing. I don’t like to stay in one place for too long.

With its themes, it is just an expression and observation of our current times. I like to use beauty to convey my themes, this is an example of that. The flame on the protea symbolises destruction and the flame on the branch symbolises ancient land management.