Country Church
$348.00
Editorial View
The Gallery's Perspective
There is a calm, prayerful quiet in this portrait that holds your attention without demanding it. The sitter’s eyes are lowered and her face is rendered with a tenderness that reads as both humility and inner strength. Dressed in luminous white, the fabric wraps her shoulders in soft, folded planes that catch cool grays and subtle shadow, making the cloth feel both protective and ceremonial. Against the spare, pale ground her skin is portrayed with warm, deep tones that sit in gentle contrast to the white robe, lending the image a sense of stillness and dignity. Small details — the simple hoop earrings, the tilt of the head, the careful modulation of light across cheek and brow — make the moment feel intimate and personal rather than staged. The overall effect is quietly reverent: an image that suggests reflection, renewal, and the steady presence of resilience. It’s the kind of portrait that settles into a room and offers a soft, steady companionable silence.
The Artwork
About Forgive Us Lord Limited Edition
Forgive Us Lord<br> LIMITED EDITION PRINT
“The title Forgive Us Lord is an umbrella statement,” Dean Mitchell begins. “I meant it as an acknowledgement by us of the fact that we have, over time and as a people, fallen short of the grace of God. Look at all He has given us: this beautiful world, full of wonderful people and limitless opportunity. And we humans, in return, have introduced into war, racism and a variety of petty vices. We, as individuals, have the ability to change this but that will only begin when we admit we have done something that requires change.”
“This is my cousin, Caroline. She embodies the beauty and strength in all of us. I have dressed her in white because it represents purity. White is also the color you wear when you are baptized, a symbol of cleansing from original sin and it is in asking for forgiveness that you take the first steps of a spiritual rebirth.”
“Mr. Mitchell is a virtual modern-day Vermeer of ordinary black people given dignity through the eloquence of his concentration and touch,” wrote The New York Times’ Michael Kimmelman. “Mr. Mitchell's works are subtly tuned character studies with an eye toward abstract form and charismatic light.”
“Eloquence of concentration and touch” expresses perfectly the entire scope of Dean Mitchell’s work. He can divine in a landscape a setting’s soul as clearly as he portrays the depths of human spirit. He is able to uncover in any subject he addresses a central sense of faith, trust, and perseverance.
Dean Mitchell’s first two releases with The Greenwich Workshop, Rowena and Psalms 4:1, are highly sought-after collector items and nearly impossible to find. These extremely personal and evocative works of art touched us deeply with their riveting balance of human strength and human frailty. With Forgive Us Lord Dean Mitchell presents us again with a mesmerizing portrait of our promise and potential.
“This is my cousin, Caroline. She embodies the beauty and strength in all of us. I have dressed her in white because it represents purity. White is also the color you wear when you are baptized, a symbol of cleansing from original sin and it is in asking for forgiveness that you take the first steps of a spiritual rebirth.”
“Mr. Mitchell is a virtual modern-day Vermeer of ordinary black people given dignity through the eloquence of his concentration and touch,” wrote The New York Times’ Michael Kimmelman. “Mr. Mitchell's works are subtly tuned character studies with an eye toward abstract form and charismatic light.”
“Eloquence of concentration and touch” expresses perfectly the entire scope of Dean Mitchell’s work. He can divine in a landscape a setting’s soul as clearly as he portrays the depths of human spirit. He is able to uncover in any subject he addresses a central sense of faith, trust, and perseverance.
Dean Mitchell’s first two releases with The Greenwich Workshop, Rowena and Psalms 4:1, are highly sought-after collector items and nearly impossible to find. These extremely personal and evocative works of art touched us deeply with their riveting balance of human strength and human frailty. With Forgive Us Lord Dean Mitchell presents us again with a mesmerizing portrait of our promise and potential.
Collector Details
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About the Collection
Dean Mitchell is a renowned American artist, celebrated for his mastery in watercolor, as well as his proficiency in egg tempera, oil, and pastel mediums. His work encompasses figurative paintings, landscapes, and still lifes, often reflecting themes from African American culture. Mitchell's art is distinguished by its emotional depth and accomplished sense of formal design, capturing the essence of his subjects with profound sensitivity. His pieces have been featured in numerous publications and are part of esteemed museum and corporate collections, including the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art and the Saint Louis Art Museum.
Artist Signature
Signed by the artist
This piece is artist signed and includes a Certificate of Authenticity.
Image Rights
Image copyright © 2026 by Dean Mitchell.
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Authenticity & Documentation
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"It is said that you must suffer for your art. Dean Mitchell understands the
sentiment, but is not ruled by it. But the images of the life he sees around
him are filled with emotion, whether it is a painting of a plain, light-
splashed, whiteboard-paneled Southern church or a woman bowing in prayer. It is
etched in the portraits of his grandmother s face,
who raised him from the age of eleven months in a small town near Tallahassee,
Florida.
As a child, Mitchell knew he wanted to be an artist, a seemingly impossible
choice for a boy in his circumstances, but he bought a set of oils when he was
twelve and won two awards in the very first art competition he entered. He
started painting in watercolor when he was attending the Columbus School of Art
and Design in Ohio and his first job was teaching art at a Boy s Club for ten
dollars an hour.
Things changed when he started entering his paintings in competitions
regularly. His exceptional ability in showing a special side of the seemingly
ordinary gained immediate attention and reward. Within just a few years,
Mitchell had won more than two hundred major art awards, including first prize
at London, England s T.H. Saunders International Artist and Watercolour Show,
top honors from the National Watercolor Society, the Art for the Parks Medal
for Overall Excellence and the Hubbard Art Award for Excellence."
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