Marvin Flynn says he paints simply because he must! He painted mentally for years, but now avidly pursues a life-long ambition to render those images in traditional oils. At a young age, he loved to draw and had a great interest in the paintings he saw in books. The study of art was not offered in the curriculum of the high school that he attended, nor were there mentors or role models to emulate. His desire for more art study led him to enroll in a correspondence course available through Art Instructions, Inc. His pursuit of an art career was interrupted when he married and his new responsibilities called for a career with immediate financial stability, but he maintained his love and appreciation for art and in time pursued his first ambition, that of painting.
He works in the style of the Dutch and Flemish Old Masters, using the chiaroscuro technique of light against dark to create rich, harmonious compositions. He was first introduced to this style of art during the six years he lived in Europe and his love and appreciation for the rich beauty and style of that method was further enhanced by studies with David Leffel and Sherrie McGraw. His exposure to works of the Old Masters made a tremendous impact and irrevocably set him on his current artistic journey. He sought out masterpieces and spent every possible minute studying those great works of art. He found Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel powerful beyond words. The works of Rubens, Vinci, Rembrandt and other great painters of the past captivated him. He feels the works of these Old Masters had the most impact on establishing his passion for painting and feels study of actual works of many great artists to be instrumental to his success. His recreation and art study are one and the same; time spent at museums and galleries viewing the works of past and present artists, studying the color, brush strokes, composition, play on light, etc., in an effort to glean the techniques applied by the artisan. He feels this study, coupled with the technical skills he learned from many instructors and mentors, is the basis of his foundation as a painter.
Marvin’s work includes landscapes, still life, figurative, small wildlife and domestic animals. He finds an abundance of subject matter in the beautiful old farms and ranches located in the Texas Hill Country near his home and in his travels back to northern Alabama where he lived as a child and still owns a farm. His palette leans heavily toward the warm earth tones and subdued colors which give him the ability to achieve an old world, romantic look in his landscapes. The European influence still evident in many of the old farms and settlements in his south central location lend themselves perfectly to his style of painting. His still life pieces reflect his love of everyday objects and ordinary surroundings. He often pairs books and porcelain or pottery pieces, loved and used by earlier generations, with the fruits of nature from his garden. “I love the look of well-used books, candle holders, and old milk pitchers with their beautiful “S” curves. They remind me of a slower, quieter time when families gathered to read and enjoy a cool glass of lemonade on a mid-summer day or early evening. It’s the nostalgia of those times I like to capture”, he says.
Marvin is a member of Oil Painters of America and Signature Member of The National Society of Artists. He is currently represented by Fredericksburg Art Gallery as well as other galleries in Texas and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He was recently published by International Artist Magazine in How Did You Paint That? One Hundred Ways to Paint Still Life and Florals, Volume 2.
