“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.