Considered the “Dean of San Diego Artists,” Alfred R. Mitchell was originally from Pennsylvania and raised in New Jersey, later moving to San Diego in the spring of 1908. Mitchell started as a sculptor, turning to landscape art in 1913, studying with local landscape artist Maurice Braun (1877-1941) and later at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art.  

Mitchell was instrumental in co-founding the La Jolla Art Association as a teacher and acclaimed painter along with other influential painters like A. R. Valentien, Alice Klauber, and William Templeton Johnson to name a few.   

Learn more about Alfred R. Mitchell in the Journal of San Diego History at the San Diego History Center.

The Cliffs at La Jolla, oil painting on canvas, 24” x 30” by Alfred R. Mitchell (1888-1972), San Diego, CA. PHOTO CREDIT: Painting courtesy Josh Hardy Galleries; Photo by Michael Field, SDNHM