Generations: Rebecca Leveille, Matt Mitchell, Eliette Mitchell
“As a family it is the greatest coincidence that the three of us are artists. Rebecca and I knew we were artists when we met in art school. But one never knows what direction a child will go. Eliette showed an affinity for drawing and sculpting when they were little but we assumed it was because art is a language children speak. Kids often use art as a way to think and communicate as they move onward towards other goals. But, for Eliette—as for Rebecca and I—the language of art continued to grow in strength and personal importance. Now Eliette has created a large scale installation at a secret location in the woods as well as a large body of work of doll-like entities. They have also attended two years at art school, one at MassArt and one at Pratt Institute, where they continue to study. Each of us works in a solitary way. When we live together we disappear to our workspaces and meet up for coffee and meals. We talk about art and culture quite a bit and enjoy going to museums and exhibitions together. Within our family these are our main ways of discussing the nuances of art. We avoid prescriptive critiques of each other’s work. Which is to say we avoid telling each other what to do as artists. One thing that might be fun to know: years ago we came up with a drawing game. The rules are simple. It’s probably a common game that lots of people play, but we have yet to run into anyone else who knows it. We call it “Starting Line”. -Matt Mitchell
Rebecca Leveille
Rebecca Leveille (who is also known for her illustration work under the name Rebecca Guay) received a BFA from Pratt Institute in 1992. She has been a guest artist/speaker at Rhode Island School of Design, University of Massachusetts, and Savannah College of Art and Design, Fordham University NYC, a guest instructor at Pratt Institute and a guest artist by invitation to shows and events in Melbourne Australia, Paris, Nagoya and Osaka (Japan), Valencia, San Fernando, and Torrelavega (Spain). Her work has been reproduced in Juxtapoz Magazine and American Art Collector, and has been featured in online articles with Juxatpoz.com and Hi Fructose.com.
12×8 in
10.5×8 in
See more of Rebecca’s work here.
Matt Mitchell
Originally from Minnesota, Matthew Mitchell spent a year studying biology/premedical illustration at Iowa State University in Ames. Mitchell then attended the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Mitchell is known for his work on the Magic: The Gathering card game. His Dungeons & Dragons work includes Book of Exalted Deeds, Epic Level Handbook, and Draconomicon. He has worked on a series of paintings of American soldiers from Afghanistan and Iraq called “100 Faces of War Experience”.
7.75×4 in
Eliette Mitchell
Eliette Mitchell (they/them) is an art student entering their second year of college at Pratt Institute after spending their first year at Massart in Boston. Storytelling is the focus of Eliette’s work. They enjoy working in illustration, however, they’ve expanded into fiber arts and integrated media since their first year in college.
24×9 in