Drawings and Paintings by A.E. Mitchell

Andrew was an accomplished sketch artist as a young boy and used his talents to support his family (Mother Martha and 5 siblings) after his father passed away at age 10. The first drawings he sold were for embroidery, and he sold those door-to-door with his mother.

In his late teens he moved to Detroit and was hired on the spot at he famed J.L. Hudson store when he created a drawing for them. His skills increased so much so, that when he created the $2 bill Gospel tract, it was so close to real U.S. money, he was asked to alter it.

Andrew enjoyed painting as well and most likely was mentored by his friend from Colorado, artist Curtis Chamberlain (AKA Chamberlin) who helped found the Laguna Beach art association in 1918.

Andrew created iconic commercial labels and lettering still in use today, that you will recognize in the gallery below. He also created maps for developers including a Denver map that is in the Library of Congress, a map of the Rim of the World, a map of the Denver and Rio Grande route to California for the 1915 Panama Pacific International Exposition, and a birds-eye-view map of Pacific Palisades for the original developers.
The images below are in chronological order to the best of our knowledge. Click on the image to enlarge it, and in some instances, where noted, the image will lead you to the source on the internet.

Andrew drew this lily as a child. It may be the earliest drawing we have, and this lily design appears on the sides of the Victory Vase he created in 1941.

Andrew's story from childhood of the drawing contest and a competitor's drawing that changed his life.

This is a very early drawing of a church by Andrew, age 12.

Andrew's map of the Holy Land produced in the early 1900s in Colorado.

This is what Andrew wrote on his letterhead about the Holy Land map. Very influential people are listed at the bottom.

Andrew created the decorative Yellowstone lettering for this label while living in Colorado.

Palisade Peaches label - still available today on mugs, t-shirts, etc.

An early Del Monte label. Andrew designed the first Del Monte logo and early labels. The website thelabelman.com has a lot of these. Click on the image and it will take you to the site.

Very early Del Monte logo and label. Click on the image and it will take you to the website for the History San Jose Museum where they have some of the originals.

Ship...possibly a practice drawing for the Cutty Sark label?

Cutty Sark logo.

Andrew at least created the distinctive hand-lettering for this label. The internet attributes this work to another artist but it has always been known in our family that he worked on this label. Perhaps it was the lettering only, not the ship?

This is a map signed by A.E. Mitchell, with his location, Denver, so we know this map was made prior to 1914. He did work for the Denver & Rio Grande RR, and this map shows the route to California. It has been printed in this brochure about the Panama Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. Click on the image and it will take you to the brochure online.

Cima Mining Claims Maps - created for the company in Denver in the early 1900s. Click on the image and it will take you to the rare maps site where this is listed.

Map that has not been found yet for developers in Colorado.

Andrew's Iconic 1921 birds-eye-view for the original developers of Pacific Palisades. Select the image and it will take you to the online image source. The original image exists in a Los Angeles city office somewhere...we are on the hunt to locate it. Is this a drawing or a painting? The article about his Rim of the World work called that a painting and it is similar to this Pacific Palisades image. Panel 1 of 2

Panel 2 of 2 - A.E. Mitchell's 1921 Pacific Palisades concept drawing for developers. Click on the image to go to the online image source.

Map created for developers in Denver. Click on the image and you will link over to the Library of Congress listing.

Biola's King's Business Magazine, 1929. Click on the images and you will link over the Biola's King's Business archive.

Cover for Biola's magazine, The King's Business, 1931. Click on the images and you will link over the Biola's King's Business archive.

Cover for Biola's Kings Business Magazine, 1920. Click on the images and you will link over the Biola's King's Business archive.

Cover for Biola's King's Business Magazine, 1925. Click on the images and you will link over the Biola's King's Business archive.

Masthead for Biola's King's Business magazine

Cover for Biola's magazine, The King's Business, 1929.Click on the images and you will link over the Biola's King's Business archive.

Rim of the World drawing by AE Mitchell green from brochure 1915.jpg

A colorized version of this Rim of the World painting...what it may have looked like originally before printing.

Andrew's map of the Mitchell family compound in Los Angeles

Andrew's drawing of the entrance to the Go-Ye Chapel at the family compound

Andrew's meticulous drawing of the Los Angeles Harbor at San Pedro. Most likely done in the 1920s. The Los Angeles Maritime Museum has this drawing.

"How does the Bible affect you?" drawing. Click on the image and it will take you the Writing section of this website which features the article that accompanies this drawing.

Newspaper article fro 1915 about Andrew's "Rim of the World" map painting for a San Bernardino brochure.

The iconic lighthouse for the Foursquare churches.

Woodrow Wilson speech. Andrew created a 3-D effect by carving clay images for this document and photographing them.

This is Dr. Frank C. Thompson and Andrew Mitchell in the Go-Ye Fellowship Prayer Garden behind the family home. Dr. Thompson taught at LIFE Bible College with Andrew and asked him to create illustrations for his Thompson Chain Reference Bible in the 1920s. See the illustrations in the next several photos.

Illustration in the back of the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. Dr. Thompson and Andrew were fellow professors at Life Bible College in the 1920s-1930s.

Plaque for tracts - holds a paper tracts that could be switched out for a new tract

Plaque design drawing in the Hindi language.

Missionary Map Paul Rader church missionaries.jpeg

Drawing for the wedding of Kaare and Jean Wilhelmsen, 1949

Andrew and Jennie at home with one of Andrew's paintings.

Cabin painting. This painting was likely done in Colorado in the early 1900s and hung in the chapel on the Mitchell family compound in Los Angeles. See next photo.

Painting of Laguna Beach by Andrew - Curtis Chamberlain, his friend from Colorado and Laguna Beach resident, may have mentored Andrew. His paintings are similar.

Painting by Andrew...looks like Colorado

Cabin painting in the Go-Ye Chapel on the Mitchell compound in Los Angeles

A.E. Mitchell trained and encouraged several lucky grandchildren
in his art techniques and art philosophies. His advice included:
• Study Art Masters…read everything about the masters and study their work.
• Refrain from listening to the advice of others about your work. Develop your own style.
• Beautiful art starts with a “line of grace”.
• Be very observant of God’s beautiful creation. Explore its features and details carefully.

He shared some drawing lessons in his book Art Evangelism.

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