In April last year, Mitch Gobel quit his job as a tradie to pursue art.
Impaired by his own insecurities, he was at an all-time low. He had a vision, but it wasn’t until someone encouraged him to follow his dreams that he began working on his legacy.
“The advice that person gave me was this: I should stop listening to the voice inside my head, that little voice we all have that tells us something is too hard, it’s bigger than you, that you’ll fail,” Gobel said. “If I could take that on and believe in myself, any possibility I could think of could become a reality.”
His life, like the beginning of an artwork, was a blank canvas on which he could paint a new and meaningful future.
The Melbourne-based artist now uses his work to raise awareness for conservation issues. He has donated thousands of dollars to the causes he believes in.
Inspired by David Attenborough and the late, great Steve Irwin, Gobel’s artwork is designed to speak for those who do not have a voice.
Some of the 24-year-old’s works hold similarities to aerial photographs of oceanic ecosystems, untouched by mankind. Others are like an intergalactic odyssey.
Gobel’s artwork utilises a world-first technique and a spectrum of coloured resins. He has been doing resin pieces for almost three years now, which he tells upstart can take ten to 12 days to complete from start to finish.
“I complete the whole process myself, starting with a trip to the local hardware store, where I hand pick the timber for the frame. The frame structure I use is my own design and has taken almost two years to perfect,” Gobel says.
Gobel has sold many artworks and donated $25,000 to Wildlife Warriors, an organisation set up by Steve and Terri Irwin. He told upstart that he “chose Wildlife Warriors because Steve Irwin is one of [his] heroes and [he] wanted to support his legacy”.
Terri Irwin, owner of Australia Zoo and co-founder of Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors, praised Gobel for his contribution.
“Mitch’s $25,000 donation from his incredible art sales is a hugely significant contribution for someone so young,” she said. “I’m so proud of Mitch for his commitment to conservation and applaud him as a true Wildlife Warrior.”
Gobel has also collaborated with Sea Shepherd to show his support for the organisation and spread awareness.
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Gobel’s new exhibition, fittingly titled Voices, will feature his latest pieces. Revenue from these pieces will go towards his project, Mitch Gobel Resin Art Wildlife and Habitat Conservation.
Gobel hopes that through this project Victoria’s Goongerah forest could one day be protected from loggers. The location has seven times more endangered species than anywhere else in Victoria.
“In a hundred years when I’m long gone, this land will be protected by law; no one can ever touch it,” Gobel said.
Through his journey, Gobel has realised there is nothing wrong with being scared.
“If you’re not scared, you’re not going to achieve a real transformation,” he wrote on Instagram.
Gobel has a fierce desire to succeed and dreams of his conservation projects going global.
“I literally changed my entire life to focus on this, and this only. There’s no way I’m going to let this fail,” he said.
Mitch Gobel Resin Art will be on show at Mossgreen Gallery in Melbourne from Saturday 18 April until 10 May. For more information, you can visit Mitch Gobel’s Facebook page and Instagram account.
Images courtesy of Mitch Gobel.
Stephanie Atkins is in her final year of a Bachelor of Journalism degree at La Trobe University. You can follow her on Twitter: @_steph_atkins_.
