Patricia Mitchell: Elevating interiors with intricate 3D paper chinoiserie theatre art

As a globally celebrated mixed media artist, Patricia Mitchell has an extensive portfolio of work including bespoke sculptures and chinoiserie panels designed with paper or aluminium mesh. Drawing inspiration from her extensive and adventurous travels, and her love of nature and botany, Patricia’s art mixes traditional and contemporary elements whilst emulating and preserving the pure beauty of any interior setting.

Here we chat with Patricia Mitchell about her journey so far..

Can you tell us your backstory and how you got into the art world?

I left school at 18 and moved to London. My first job was working in an art gallery in Bond Street as a receptionist. During the next 16 years I managed somehow to climb the corporate ladder, working for various property entrepreneurs who employed me to design, project manage, interior design etc various buildings in Mayfair and St James’s and make them into business centres.

My final 5 years I worked as a membership secretary for a private members club in Berkeley Square. Here I learnt exceptionally valuable skills on how to converse with very senior corporates, socialites, members of the Royal Family, as well as film, music and television personalities whom I would have otherwise avoided with shyness. It was an extraordinary 5 years which I look back on with great hilarity and too many secrets I can never divulge!

During this time, I had been attending evening classes at the Heatherley School of Fine Art in Chelsea. One dark and damp Monday morning in January, on a whim, without even giving it a second thought, I told my boss that I was leaving. He refused my resignation because he believed I wouldn’t be able to make it outside ‘the club’ life. Determined to prove him wrong, by that afternoon, I had signed up do a part time figurative sculpture course at the Heatherly.

By the Tuesday I had managed to land myself a job with one of the club members, working as her PA Monday to Wednesday. By Wednesday I had set myself up as a dog walker before work/college in Fulham and by the Thursday I had sent an email out to all my friends with new babies asking if I could take their photos to start a little photography businesss on the side (photography was my hobby).

On Friday I celebrated big time! I had to do a financial forecast and to my delight, I had managed to hustle a monthly income to cover the mortgage, bills and food – but nothing left over for a social life outside my flat or friends houses, sunny holidays or lovely clothes I so enjoyed with a good salary. That was the price to pay for freedom!

I loved the Heatherley, and the course but I also loved photography. After three years the photography business became so successful and busy that I was ready to give up sculpture. I was ‘OK’ at sculpture, but not brilliant but it did teach me everything about composition, form and light. Skills which are totally necessary to be a successful photographer.

Fast forward lots of years again and I was honoured with a photographic Residency at The Royal Hospital Chelsea to photograph a retrospective of the daily life of an In-Pensioner at the Hospital over a year. In fact, this project took 2.5 years and eventually I wrote a coffee table book which can be still purchased on Amazon – A Year in Pictures: The Royal Hospital Chelsea by Patricia Rodwell.

My book was the last hurrah before I retired from photography and we moved to the country. My daughter was only 3 at the time so trying to start all over again and find photography work in an area I didn’t know, with no local friends to lean on was really tough. One evening I was watching a documentary about origami, and so I thought I’d give it a go. To my surprise I was really good at it – and whatsmore, on YouTube there was an abundance of tutorials.

Once I had mastered about 10 different ‘makes’, I set up a little children’s origami party business which really took off very quickly. The phone was ringing off the hook and my diary was full – it was extraordinary that paper folding could be so popular. This little business went onto teaching origami in surrounding schools, as well as spending a day a week teaching origami as part of PTSD group therapy to Help For Heroes.

Fast forward again I was asked by an interior designer to create some origami inspired art to display in her shop for the Hungerford Arts Trail. Instead of folded paper, I created a technique of drawing and cutting botanical shapes which I layered to create a 3D theatre and displayed them in Perspex display cases. I made 6 large pieces of art for her shop display and they sold within a day with one huge commission to follow.  This was in 2016.  I closed the origami business and ventured into the art world.

Since then I have used every aspect of my corporate and art journey to get where I am now. I have been so lucky to have worked with notable designers such as  Nina Campbell, Annoushka Boutiques, Hilton Hotel group, Katharine Pooley as well as some very well known global art consultants. I have also worked with designers and galleries in the USA which was so exciting.

I would love to do more work out there – especially in Palm Beach. Have you seen their interior style? Isn’t it a joy!  By the way, this journey has in no way been easy, and sometimes it very stressful, taking everything and more out of me, but at the same time, I wouldn’t change a thing.

What influences your work?

I love nature. The natural world is my art gallery which never fails to equip me with everything I need to create my pieces. When working at such a high level of detail which needs much patience and resilience, being around trees keeps me sane! Many moons ago, I travelled quite a bit, especially in Africa where I spent 5 months driving across South Africa and Zimbabwe.

I spent some time with the Born Free Foundation in Kenya working with primates, living in a shack on the beach spending the days working with jungle vets. I adore the photogaphical works by Frans Lanting and the madcap adventures of explorer Benedict Allen. The sublime De Gournay designs are just who and everything I want to be in life! Imagine a collaboration with them? One couldn’t get much higher than that!

I have always been a keen follower of global interior trends. The majority of my clients are interior designers up and down the country and in the US, so being up to date with a good working knowledge of fabrics, paints, top interior designers and particular styles and interior trends is essential to be able to work in unison with a busy designer and client. I advise my clients on a colour palette, style and size of their commissioned artwork which is a huge responsibility on top of everything else. Without that interior design knowledge I certainly wouldn’t be equipped to do my job whatsoever.

How would you describe your signature style and technique?

The base of my designs always comes with heavy notes of botanical and zoological interest. A 3D paper chinoiserie theatre is probably the best way to describe the style by way of layering and intertwining branches and leaves with aspects of wildlife. As these pieces are made to order, it is always so exciting choosing a colour palette and design with the client and putting in a few fun personal details.

My new portfolio will be using a wonderful malachite paint finish technique I learnt last year.  The marriage between the green malachite with gold botanical interest is a perfect match and I’m really looking forward to taking this further.

What is the best advice you received as an artist?

I never got any. I swam alone, and made it up as I went along.  Golly – the amount of dead ends and feeling I’d made a fool of myself resulting in tears and wanting to give up – staggering, but I never gave up. I also didn’t want to prove my doubters wrong and there were a good few who didn’t believe in me and what I wanted to do. Without that corporate background I doubt very much I would have made it.

My advice to any artist is to get a proper job, and do art as a hobby until you have a massive treasure chest of life experience to help you go it alone. It’s not just about the money, it’s about learning people, learning business and learning how life works.

Another thing which I’ve started to do is give talks to 6th formers who aspire to go into business as an artist. The first slide of the presentation is a photograph of a run down village hall and beside it, a photograph of a Firmdale Hotel with its beautiful art. And I ask the students, ‘Where would you like to promote your work? In this village hall or in this beautiful hotel?’  Then, I go on and give advice on how to achieve a dream of swimming with the big sharks in a huge sea of little fish. That’s a whole ‘another story’!

For more information about Patricia’s art and commission enquiries please visit patriciamitchelldesign.com

Cover image: Peace Be With You commissioned by the award-winning garden architect and horticulturist, Chris Beardshaw

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