Heather Morgan interviews painter John Mitchell. An exhibition of Mitchell’s paintings will open September 7, 2018 at Planthouse Gallery, New York.

Mitchell comments: “My paintings are not photographic and they’re not perfect representations of the way something looks in real life. They rely on the organic process of seeing and my ability to make a painting— both of which are riddled with imperfection. For example—when I’m concentrated on one area in my field of vision, strange things happen visually. Floating colors that aren’t physically present begin to appear in the periphery or I’ll see floating spots. People move during sessions and change from session to session and I do too. All of that information is subject for use in the painting but I intentionally leave things out too. In the end, I want the painting to feel alive. The whole thing has to work in unison and the paint should be exciting to look at.”