Chai Style Art: Deep Dimensions Define the Mitchell-Diamonds

Linda Mitchell, artist, and husband Jeffrey Diamond, musician, are both Buckhead natives and creative spirits who are at home in their Loring Heights mid-century house, which Linda describes as “warm, comfortable, and inviting. Our decor is eclectic and artistic, with relaxed livable furnishings and art that speaks to our souls.”

Soul is an oft-used concept as it relates to Linda and the inspiration she takes from animals. “Nature, diverse materials, and sincere emotion comprise my work, which explores the contemplation of human life through soulful animal spirits,” she says. “I hope to foster spiritual connection to oneself and to the natural world. My animals are often stand-ins for humans and their emotional lives. In addition to depicting characters in my narratives, they are powerful emissaries, reminding us to preserve and care for our precious planet.”

The Mitchell-Diamond house abounds with Linda’s canvases, some as large as 7’ x 10’. Her fantastical interpretations of elephants, bunnies, wild cats, beagles, pigs, cookies, hidden messages, a blobbing lava lamp, and two rambunctious, spoiled dogs, Otto and Morty. Linda has crafted everything from window treatments and shadow boxes to driftwood, fabric-based life-sized animals, cement, spirit balloons, and metal animals in the expansive back yard. Hear the roar in a tour of Linda’s menagerie. Decide for yourself what’s real.

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Jeffrey Diamond relaxes in the living room with pups Otto and Morty. “No. 32 Duration; Line No.3,” a collaged painting depicting Ganesh by Kojo Griffin, is in the background.

Jaffe: How did you arrive at this artistic point in your life?

Mitchell: As a child, my nickname was “Miss Art” because I was always experimenting with paints, sewing, or making animal figures. Early on, I found that I needed a creative outlet to stay mentally and emotionally healthy, and structured my life around that. I earned a BFA in painting from UGA, and later two MFAs from GSU — in painting and in sculpture. I enjoyed making large, welded animal pieces, though crafting steel is physically taxing, so I’ve returned to painting and mixed media. Many of my sculptures now adorn our garden, and our home includes a decorative railing I fabricated.

Jaffe: What’s your artistic process?

Mitchell: I work at my nearby studio. The process is intense, and hours pass unnoticed when I am “in the zone.” I work in 3-hour spurts, which are cathartic. Since there’s always more than one piece going concurrently, there is often a need for pause, contemplation, drying time, or finding solutions. This also allows for cross-pollination of ideas and makes for more interesting explorations.

Jaffe: How would you describe your style?

Mitchell: An incorporation of materials and processes with realistic and imaginary animal figures. I layer materials to create dreamy surreal paintings. Lately, I’ve been repurposing mixed media elements, including beads, bits of jewelry, yarn and fabric. Different colors evoke different emotions, so my palette changes with state of mind. During the quarantine, I created a series of “white-out” paintings to reflect all that had been erased from our lives. The minimal, muted color palette was a natural choice in that time of restriction and loss. I also have a new project in the works. I am beginning a series of commissioned pieces in which I work directly with a subject to find their own spirit animal. The bespoke paintings incorporate personal memorabilia from the client, such as bits of jewelry, fabric, and paper items. The unique power of the chosen animal provides support, strength and wisdom to its collector.

The music room features a landscape photograph by David Armstrong, “Study of a Violinist” by Lori Gene, “Garden Party” by Andrew Catanese, and “Low Country Boil” by Karen Tunnell.

Jaffe: What’s on the horizon?

Mitchell: I am creating a series from my repurposed billboard. I was lucky to be selected for the ArtPop Street Gallery project last year, and my work was featured on billboards throughout the Atlanta area for a year. I have the printed vinyl billboard — 14’ x 48’— which I am dividing up to create large paintings from fragments. My work is also available directly from my website, www.lindamitchellartist.com, and through private studio visits. I am represented by Thomas Deans Fine Art Gallery and frequently exhibit with Mason Fine Art. I am thrilled to have had over 20 solo exhibitions in national museums. Prices range from several hundred to $20,000.

Linda’s painting of a winged antelope, “Fierce Angel,” on black fabric.

Jaffe: Which works by other artists do you have in your home?

Mitchell: Jeffrey and I love art and have a wonderful collection of mostly local artists. One notable piece is a Kojo Griffin painting that was selected for the Whitney Biennial in 2000. I also have many photographs by my sister, who uses historical photographic techniques like wet plate collodion and silver gelatin. Jeffrey enjoys a wonderful collection of photographs, paintings and sculptures in his music room. We have acquired most pieces in Atlanta, but occasionally add to our collection during our travels.

Jaffe: Jeffrey, in 2017 you retired from your family’s commercial and industrial painting company, started by your grandfather Harry Goodman. How would you describe your “second act”?

Diamond: I have always played music semi-professionally, and now I have the time and energy to get really immersed. I started playing piano at age 6, played in the Pacific University Jazz Band, and attended Berklee (a preeminent music school) in Boston for a short time, but have been improving since I learned boogie-woogie music at age 10. Now I perform as Moondy (on most streaming sites), write music, and produce my own albums. Living with Linda has always been a creative experience. She brings art to a place of approachability and gives me visuals to contemplate while having my morning coffee. I continually see new elements in her work and am inspired by how she has recreated her art in so many different directions while retaining a narrative component using her signature animal imagery.

Linda’s 2001 mixed media sculpture “Delicates” assembles an antelope out of welded steel, plaster, paper, and wood.

After all, Linda is an artist who dreams about Play-Doh, named one of her collages “Beautiful Detritus,” moved from the art coop at the Goat Farm, and has a patch of turquoise hair.