Flynn conjures weightless scenes in oil with a deep attention paid to both the mute stillness of his chosen settings and the bold positioning of elements within.
Flynn's background in graphic design is clearly evident within several characteristics of his work. The tranquil backgrounds are chosen as flat color fields, achieving a subtle conversation between complementary tones. The iron, stone, or ice elements are employed fundamentally as lines and shape, providing compositional narrative as characters within the scene. The absence of life within the work heightens both the spare nature of the design and the sensation that one is viewing a threshold between worlds.
Although Flynn's paintings are firmly seated within a contemporary ideology, he has chosen to render the work with a high degree of realism. By doing so, he has brought the surreal calm of the composition into the rational world of the viewer.
A sophisticated presentation of form, tone and space.
Younsoo Kim, independent curator
Exhibitions
2023 Alma IV, Alma Interiors, Chicago, IL
2023 Tastefully Absurd, Hairpin Arts, Chicago, IL
2023 Summer Selections, Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI
2022 Summer Selections, Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI
2020 Reality and Art, Arc Gallery, Chicago, IL
2020 Solo Exhibition, Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI
2020 Consciousness of Abstraction, Arc Gallery, Chicago, IL
2019 Our Lakes & Rivers, Grosse Pointe Art Center, Grosse Pointe, MI
2019 Great Lakes Exhibition, Carlyn & Company, Grand Haven, MI
2019 Summer Soirée, Prak-sis, Chicago, IL
2019 Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, Alpena, MI
2019 Summer Selections, Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI
2019 Fremont Art Gala, Chicago, IL
2018 Summer Selection, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
2018 Summer Selections, Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI
2017 Great Lakes Film & Art, Towle Theater, Hammond, IN
2017 Great Lakes Film & Art, Wilmette Theatre, Wilmette, IL
2017 Nature vs. Nurture, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2017 Mass & Aura (solo ex.), Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016 Summer Selections, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
2016 Short Stories, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
2015 Select Works, Thomas Masters Gallery, Chicago, IL
2014 Call & Response, Evanston Art Center, Evanston, IL
2013 Frontier, Morpho Gallery, Chicago, IL
2012 Implied Movements, Pino, Ilsan, South Korea
2011 Fresh (solo ex.), Third Coast Gallery, St. Joseph, MI
2010 Fresh Perspective, Barbara & Barbara Gallery, Chicago, IL
2007 FOCI, Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL
2006 Great Lakes Art Showcase, Third Coast Gallery, New Buffalo, MI
Publications & Features
2023 Harbor Springs Summer Guide
2022 The Record North Shore
2022 Harbor Springs Summer Guide
2021 Luxe Chicago
2020 Modern Luxury Spotlight
2020 Modern Luxury Interiors Chicago
2020 Harbor Springs Summer Guide
2019 Luxe Chicago
2019 Canna Podcast
2019 Great Lakes Surfers Journal
2018 Harbor Springs Summer Guide
2018 Driftless Magazine
2015 Driftless Magazine
2006 Sheboygan Visitor Magazine
Education
1999 Post Graduate Education in Graphic Design, Dominican University, Chicago, IL
1997 Bachelor of Fine Arts, Loyola University, Chicago, IL