Biography

Mitra Samimi–Urich is a Vermont-based Iranian American multidisciplinary artist and poet. She works across various mediums, including acrylic and ink on linen, paper, and panel. Her style moves between surrealism, modern realism, and abstraction, exploring themes of identity, transformation, and cultural connection through subjects of life and displacement. She often blends her poetry into her paintings through a modern interpretation of Persian calligraphy.

She was born in Tehran, Iran. After spending her early childhood there, her family permanently relocated to the ancient city of Isfahan, known for its rich traditions of architecture, music, and literature. The city’s historic domes, rivers, tree-lined streets, and lush Persian gardens created an enriching environment that instilled in her, at an early age, a passion for the arts.

At age 17, she attended the Art School of Isfahan, where she studied art and architectural design. Following the Iranian regime change, Mitra moved to the United States and continued her education at the University of Massachusetts.

After completing her studies, she began teaching architectural design at Hall Institute of Technology in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Later, she moved to Vermont, where, for the next five years, she worked as a designer for several respected architectural firms. In 2001, Mitra founded her own design studio, www.mitradesigns.com. Her architectural background is evident in her artwork, where the principles of shape, form, color, and scale flow seamlessly, giving her work a strong visual presence. Mitra also credits her years of experience running a design business with shaping her professionalism as an artist.

Over the past decade, she has dramatically scaled back her design business to devote herself fully to her art practice. During this time, she has developed a diverse body of work that spans surrealist painting and contemporary mixed-media pieces incorporating poetry, Persian calligraphy, intricate ink work, and some three-dimensional elements.

Her work has been featured in several publications, and she has participated in a residency at the Vermont Studio Center. She has also been the recipient of several grants in support of her artistic practice.

Mitra enjoys spending time with her family and takes pride in her daughter’s natural talent in filmmaking and the arts. Her daughter, Sierra Urich, is a filmmaker with Joonam Film. Mitra is also a passionate gardener who finds inspiration in nature and the outdoors, which deeply influence both her art and poetry.

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About my work

Most of my art has a philosophical undertone inspired by my cultural roots. Through my art, I am compelled to tell personal stories from childhood memories and my cross-cultural immigrant experiences, both personal and familial. I enjoy writing poetry, and sometimes I incorporate it into my pieces using Persian calligraphy. I’m also drawn to creating art that connects with nature, and most of my work reflects that, even when it challenges social systems and addresses human rights issues.

Some of my art reflects my quest for a greater awareness of the inner self and consciousness. Some of my other work becomes a venue for me to make sense of our complex social systems and address the contradictions that exist in our society. Having grown up in Iran, a mostly male-dominated and oppressive society, especially for women, my art has given me a place where I can freely express my thoughts and frustrations surrounding topics involving women and humanity as a whole.

I have never felt comfortable with conformity. Much like life, for me, art is not linear; it moves and changes. As my life experiences evolve, so does my art and the language of the artistic style I use to express my emotions surrounding it. Art is a process of personal and social transformation for me, and through that transformation, I hope I can make a positive impact on others.

My artist Style & Medium

As a multidisciplinary visual artist, I am continually challenged and inspired to investigate the possibilities that each artistic medium offers. I often incorporate detailed ink-pen and pencil drawings into my work because they allow me to create powerful contrasts that support and deepen the story I am trying to tell.

I primarily work with acrylics and ink, but I am not hesitant to explore other mediums and materials, including watercolor, pastels, pencil, pen, marker, or combinations of them. In some of my past work, I have incorporated beeswax, natural dyes, old photographs, stamps, newspaper, and cloth to achieve a particular visual and textural mood. Each material brings its own character, history, and language to the work.

While some of my art calls for realism, other pieces emerge through surrealistic or abstract forms. At times, I blend several artistic approaches within a single work to create a statement, evoke an emotion, or reveal layers of meaning that may not be expressed through one visual language alone.

I have a deep passion for poetry and the visual form of calligraphy because they connect me to the soul of my Persian ancestry. Poetry has always been a powerful way for me to explore memory, emotion, identity, and story. Sometimes, as I work to tell a story through my art, poetry begins to flow, and calligraphy brings the elements of painting and written word together. In those moments, poetry and visual art become inseparable—each informing, transforming, and giving voice to the other.

Movement and motion are recurring threads throughout all my work. I am especially drawn to the organic flow of free-form Persian calligraphy, which allows line and form to move across the surface with a sense of rhythm and spontaneity. I find the gestural movement created through this interplay of image and calligraphy both poetic and powerful.