Donna Mitchelson, a native of Jamaica, New York, began studying art at age six. Her studies include charcoal, watercolor, oils, and ink. She continued her art training at the High School of Music and Art in New York City. Donna earned both a Bachelor’s degree and a Master of Fine Arts from the Pratt Institute, majoring in painting.
In 2005, Donna moved to Lowell, MA, and became a member of the Arts League of Lowell. She rented an art studio in the Gates Block Studios. Ms. Mitchelson also studied digital photography at Boston University, Waltham, MA. While she was in school, Donna took documentary photos of the Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad in Portland, ME, for railroad restoration purposes. After graduation, Ms. Mitchelson started her freelance business, “Whistle Stop Photos,” a name suggested by her classmates. Years later, she illustrated books for several authors, such as Berry the Bear by J. Mercedes, and changed her business name to “Whistle Stop Photos and Multimedia. Donna designed her logo based on her brother’s hand-built model caboose.
In 2019, Donna returned to New Jersey and created from her home studio. Ms. Mitchelson began a series of nature and wildlife drawings from her photos. In addition, she studied mosaics at the Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood, NJ. Donna joined the Mosaic Society of Philadelphia (MSoP) the following year. She participated in several group mosaic projects, including a mural at the Chester Senior Center in Chester, PA, and The Ruins Project in Perryopolis, PA.
In 2023, Donna accepted an invitation to the Forest Hill Elementary School in Camden, New Jersey, to facilitate a demonstration of the book illustration process for third-grade students. Therefore, she wrote a sample story for the students. After the presentation, some of the students asked her when she was going to publish her story. Today, Ms Mitchelson wrote and illustrated a series of children’s books. Finally, Donna now offers mosaics to her collection.
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