The 8th Annual Julian Open Studios Tour
By Donna Hodge

Charlotte Mitchell photo by Brent Mitchell

Question: What was broken, burned, bent or otherwise thought to be lost forever?

Answer: Many of the fragments used to create the beautiful sculptures of Charlotte Mitchell.

Charlotte Mitchell will

be one of 17 local artists participating in the eighth annual Julian Open Studio Tour Oct.27-29. Maps and further information will be available at the Julian Town Hall and Wynola Pizza Express.

"After the Cedar fires or just having lived to be 55, I find I can make art out of almost anything or almost nothing.

It is a humbling revelation," Charlotte said as she shared some insights into what sparks her creativity.

"I used to think I should plan it all beforehand, but now I let the material speak to me. The design flows out from me spontaneously; it is magic, like a fire at my fingertips," she added.

Her work is constructed using a variety of materials, mainly glass that has been shaped and fused in a kiln. She then wraps the sections in copper foil and solders them together into three-dimensional art.

A smashed crystal bowl becomes the basis of a multi-colored glass cornucopia; the melted antique copper boiler takes on new life as a 6-foot "Lady of the House" figurative sculpture; parts of an heirloom cobalt vase are the focus for a brilliant red and blue glass-piece; a twisted manzanita branch twines its way through a maze of vivid color.

A professional artist most of her life, Charlotte comes from four generations of women-artists; she cherishes the past in her work while clearly facing the future.

"Even when broken or transformed by fire, what survives of the people and things we love can still resonate with memory and can become a touchstone for healing," she said.

While clearing out some fire debris at a friend's burned-out garage, she came across a mason jar that had melted as a flower unfolds, leaving the small nails inside sticking up like a pin cushion.

This fragment evoked a memory of her first sculpture - a block of wood spiked with metal oddments found in the garage. She realized then that something beautiful could be pulled from disaster.

As in the past when people had brought her broken bits and pieces for her artwork, she found she could take the fire fragments and use them in the same way.

Poetry is also a strong influence. Whether as inspiration or scribed directly onto the surface, the written word has a power to give another dimension to Mitchell's work.

Charlotte's art can be seen at her studio by appointment (760-765-2569) or on the Julian Open Studio Tour, at the Banner Queen Gallery and at John Stewart Gallery on Ray Street. She also exhibits at the San Diego Art Institute in Balboa Park and Escondido's Municipal Gallery. Her work with Cedar Fire remnants is being featured at the Julian Branch Library where she will be giving a presentation at 6:30 p.m., Oct. 26.