Mikaela Darnell grew up in a small town in Western North Carolina. Her childhood was spent making art and exploring the natural wonder NC has to offer and in her adult life she has spent much of her time doing the same. Drawn to the Blue Ridge Mountains, she attended the University of North Carolina in Asheville where she graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art in Painting and Sociology. Appropriately, her work has focused on themes of identity and exploration of the human experience. Mikaela has continued to live and work in Asheville and she has exhibited her paintings in various shows across North Carolina.