He spent his child hood growing up in the south west of England.

At 29 a drinking binge ended in a hospitalization and a near death ''Bardo'' experience, in witch he was graced with a moment of clarity into his condition. This became the spark to ignite his recovery turning his life around and creating the Art we see today.

more about Mitchell in his words.

I remember when I was 18 seeing a friend’s new tattoo. Immediately I knew that this was the genre I wanted to work in. So 1987 I apprenticed as a tattoo artist. My mission as a tattoo artist, was to use my artistic skills to help clients express their inner visions on their skin, and mark their rites of passage in a time honored way. I owned and ran a tattoo studio for many years. In this time I met many fantastic people, who in turn enriched my life experiences; it was very fulfilling to share in this holistic, shamanic experience with them. Towards the late nineties there were new missions growing deep inside of me that I felt compelled to express, but they were outside of the tattoo genre. So in 1999 I stopped tattooing. I visited the USA and Canada. While in the USA, I spent time with the Navajo and Hopi tribes. and with the Huron [Mohawk/Mohican] people.. I feel privileged to have been embraced by these people, some of whose traditions, craft skills and mystical healing arts I now incorporate into my art and my life today. I am inspired by the unseen, and the mystical. When I am painting I go to a different world; a dark and symbolic world. Painting is the medium I feel is best suited to share these visions with you. They are my gift to you. S. V. Mitchell