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Crawford Mitchell
ARCA ARUA
Crawford Mitchell ARCA ARUA
Born	5 October 1908; Belfast, Northern Ireland
Died	26 November 1976 (aged 68)
Nationality	British
Education	Belfast School of Art
Alma mater	Royal College of Art
Known for	Printmaking

William Crawford Mitchell ARCA, ARUA (5 October 1908 – 26 November 1976) was an Ulster artist who specialized in lino-cuts and wood engraving.^[1]

Early life and education

Crawford Mitchell was born on 5 October 1908, the son of Joseph Mitchell, a confectioner on the Grosvenor Road, Belfast, and his Scottish-born wife Catherine. Mitchell was the youngest of three children.^[2] He attended the Boys Model School, Belfast before gaining a scholarship from Dunville to study at the Belfast School of Art.^[1] In 1930 whilst a student at Belfast Art College, Mitchell won first prize in a competition at the Royal Dublin Society for his set of 3 nude life-drawings.^[3] He won a further scholarship to the Royal College of Art in 1932, where he studied alongside his cousin George MacCann, and MacCann's future wife Mercy Hunter.^[1]

Career

Mitchell was a teacher who influenced several generations of children in the schools where he worked. In 1935 he taught part-time at Rainey Endowed School and at both Lurgan and Portadown Colleges. In 1950 he moved to the newly-opened Grosvenor High School at Roden Street in Belfast, where he remained until he retired in 1970. Following his retirement he concentrated on his printmaking and supplemented his income with part-time tuition at Rupert Stanley College of Further Education in Belfast.^[1] Mitchell was a longstanding member of the Art Teachers' Association in Northern Ireland.^[4]

Mitchell was also a set designer, occasional actor and theatre director with the Ulster Theatre from the 1930s. Whilst teaching at Grosvenor High School he created programmes and posters for school productions, designed sets, and also played instruments when necessary.

Mitchell was one of the original members of the Ulster Unit and showed 5 etchings in their inaugural exhibition at Locksley House, Belfast in December 1934. His contemporaries at the Ulster Unit included John Hewitt, Colin Middleton, John Luke, John Hunter, George MacCann and Kathleen Bridle.^[5] Mitchell's works in the exhibition were described by one critic as "each soundly competent"^[6] whilst another describes his Wayward Tree as "promising for this young artist".^[7]

In 1963 Mitchell showed alongside Colin Middleton, Dennis Osborne, Jean Osborne, TP Flanagan, Tom Carr, Cherith McKinstry, Wilfred Stewart, and David Crone in the Arts Council of Northern Ireland's New Gallery Painters Exhibition.^[8]

Mitchell showed several times at the Royal Ulster Academy, including 1965 when he presented a four coloured lino-cut, Gnarled Oak, with prints at a bargain price of £2.^[9] In the 1970 RUA annual show he offered Geese at Castleward.^[10] He won the silver medal at the Royal Ulster Academy's 94th annual show in 1975 for a lino-cut of Ballaghanery Church, Co, Down, one of the oldest ecclesiastical buildings in Ulster.^[1]^[11] In the same year Mitchell was elected as Associate Member of the RUA.^[12] In the following year he exhibited two works at the RUA, Grey Abbey and Yellow Water River,^[1] which critic Elizabeth Baird described as simply "outstanding".^[13]

In 1974 Mitchell joined the Masquers for their first exhibition. Formed in 1947 they were originally a play-reading group who embraced the visual arts in the pursuit of peace. Billed as showing 'Masquerpieces' the exhibition was held in the Centre Art Gallery at 150 Stranmillis Road in Belfast, where Mitchell showed alongside his wife Eileen, Mary Dugdale, and George Morrow.^[14] The same quartet of Masquers displayed work at the Centre Art Gallery in 1976, where Mitchell displayed ten works -five lino-cuts, four oils, and one gouache.^[1]^[15] The art critic Elizabeth Baird was impressed by Mitchell's work in the Masquers display:

"Working in lino Crawford Mitchell has produced some really excellent prints. Although often very detailed and intricate in cut and colour, 'Hillsborough' for example, they are invariably technically perfect and aesthetically very pleasing. There are several other local artists who work in lino but none can use and match colours as beautifully as Mr. Mitchell".^[16]

Death and legacy

Crawford Mitchell died on 26 November 1976.^[1]^[17] He was 68 years old. Mitchell was survived by his wife Eileen (née Morrison) whom he had married in 1943, and his son Clive.^[17]

Mitchell's work was shown posthumously with the RUA in 1977,^[18] at the same time as a retrospective of 77 of his works showed at Rupert Stanley College on Tower Street, Newtownards.^[1]^[19] His work can be found in the collections of the British Council and the Victoria and Albert Museum.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Snoddy, Theo (2002). 20th Century Dictionary of Irish Art (2nd ed.). Dublin: Merlin. p. 427. ISBN 1-903582-17-2.
^ "Ireland Census 1911". The National Archives of Ireland. 1911. Archived from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 27 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^ "Ulster Prize-Winners in Art Competition". Belfast News-Letter. 7 July 1930. p. 11. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ "Art Lecture". Belfast News-Letter. 4 June 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ Kennedy, S B (1991). Irish Art & Modernism 1880–1950. Institute of Irish Studies, Queens University Belfast. p. 74. ISBN 0-85389-402-7.
^ "Present day art: opening of Ulster Unit exhibition". Northern Whig. 18 December 1934. p. 9. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
^ "New spirit in art: exhibition by Ulster Unit". Belfast Telegraph. 19 December 1934. p. 12. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
^ Bowyer, AW (13 December 1963). "Two showings for Ulster artists". Belfast Telegraph. p. 13. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
^ MacCann, George (3 November 1965). "Venturesome art at RUA". Belfast Telegraph. p. 9. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
^ Stewart, Ann M (1997). Irish art societies and sketching clubs: index of exhibitors, 1870–1980, Volume 2: M-Z. Dublin: Four Courts Press. p. 505. ISBN 1-85182-328X.
^ Baird, Elizabeth (15 May 1975). "Art from £3.50". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ "Mercy Hunter elected". Belfast Telegraph. 6 December 1975. p. 5. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ Baird, Elizabeth (19 June 1976). "The (Royal Ulster) Academy Awards". Belfast Telegraph. p. 6. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ Johnston, Neil; Chambers, Gillian (1 May 1974). "Masquer pieces?". Belfast Telegraph. p. 3. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
^ "Artistic grouping". Belfast Telegraph. 17 May 1976. p. 3. Retrieved 12 March 2021.
^ Baird, Elizabeth (18 May 1976). "Art: Drawing Power". Belfast Telegraph. p. 10. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Obituaries: Mr Crawford Mitchell". Belfast Telegraph. 29 November 1976. p. 2. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ Baird, Elizabeth (4 June 1977). "Art". Belfast Telegraph. p. 6. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
^ Johnston, Neil (15 June 1977). "Artist in Retrospect". Belfast Telegraph. p. 3. Retrieved 20 January 2021.