Award winning artist, Ron Mitchell, a member of the Cherokee Nation, has been a fixture around Native American art shows for decades. He was born in Ft. Benning, Georgia, on December 25, 1943, and was raised on many different military bases in the United States and Germany. he spent many summers with his Cherokee grandmother whose stories and legends of the Cherokee people inspire him and still influences his art today.
Since that first show in 1971, the artist has made his living as a professional artist who is always ready to help others. Through demonstrations and being a mentor to numerous beginning artist he has shared his knowledge and experience. The prolific artist’s style evolved over the years, instinctively painting, drawing and sculpting about his heritage. Whether it be by incorporating representations of impossible spaces, shapes or object turning into something completely different, or using the full spectrum of colors in his paintings, despite being red-green colorblind. His style has changed with the seasons, matching the change and growth of the Cherokee Nation.
In 2025 he was awarded the Cherokee National Living Treasure Award in recognition of his exhibited exceptional skill and knowledge in visual arts by creating unique Cherokee works of art, perpetuating and preserving the Cherokee language, embodying Cherokee values and bequeathing his knowledge to younger generations.
Achievements & Awards
About the Work
Medium: Graphic Arts
Dreaming my dreams and thinking of the old ways, I create original works of art that are influenced by a combination of traditional, Oriental, and contemporary styles. The style is modern, as it is today, but draws inspiration from the past, taking the viewer through a window in time by capturing the essence of an idea, a time, or a place.