Meet Colleen Flynn | Artist and owner of Art by Flynn

We had the good fortune of connecting with Colleen Flynn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Colleen, how do you think about risk?
I have been self-employed for more of my adult life than employed by a company, so I do think it comes fairly naturally to me to be a risk taker. Becoming a full-time artist was always a dream that I thought (maybe someday) might come true but I think I always knew it wouldn’t be a simple path. I had no idea it would be a pandemic that would avail the opportunity that it did. So, taking the risk of painting and painting, and then painting some more and somehow putting myself out there was an incredible risk that was really hard for me at first. Each painting is like your baby in a way and rejection is so difficult. I guess the realization that an opportunity like this was a once in a lifetime, so it had to be done. I lost track of my comfort level pretty quickly.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My art is little different. It is abstract with a touch of realism. I have been called an impressionist but also and abstract painter. I would answer to either and am just so excited to be creating something that resonates with people enough to pay me to do it, you can call me whatever you like. I had dreamt of being an artist all my life, but work and life get in the way of dreams sometimes. So, I went on with life, work, family and all of the things.

Once I was able, I decided to go back to school. I decided to study at the Art Institute of Seattle, but the courses were very technical and seemed only focused on getting students ready for animation or video game careers. I also took classes at Pratt Fine Arts Center along with any free classes and videos I could find! In doing this, I was able to hone my skills in a variety of mediums as well as discover so many things about myself as an artist.

I absolutely fell in love with movement in art, abstracts that you can’t look away from.

My style grew with a palette knife and thick globs of acrylic paint. I love textures and shapes but most of all I love color! I love color that inspires and makes you feel strong emotions, even joy.

Then, in 2020, like the rest of the population, life and work changed for me. Family grew closer which was wonderful however, I found myself with time and resources to paint – and paint I did!!!

I painted on old kitchen cabinets and painted on pieces of wood before getting my hands on REAL CANVAS!! I created an entire series on these mediums and with old house paint!! These pieces remain some of my favorites and I doubt I will ever sell those.

I am humble and in awe of all art and artist’s and all they create and feel honored to be able to list this as “what I do”. It is “what I am” and it is a dream come true!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I really don’t travel far from the beaches. I would gallery hop from La Jolla to Laguna but when it comes to hanging out Huntington Beach is my favorite beach. I love going to any place with a view. I can’t say which is my favorite because I love them all, but I do love the Wet Dog Tavern on Main Street and paint your dog night with Melissa Murals. What a hoot!! I think I would check out what’s going on interactively as I think Southern California is so full of cool and fun people that you have to get right in there and experience things like a local.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
the artists of YouTube but in particular, Bob Burridge and Charla Maarschalk who I watched daily as I worked on developing my own style of painting. I loved their colors and compositions and their fearlessness. Once I had a pretty decent body of work, I signed up for an online art storefront that had marketing courses teaching us to sell our art online. It was useless for me, so I had to find something else. I joined an intuitive artist group led by Justine Serebin (now Alvarez) who walked me through any fear or misguided distraction monsters (her term that I loved). She helped me not only find my center and voice but also how not to lose it through negative times. Lastly, I would have to thank Jodi McKay who is the marketing manager for the Huntington Beach Artisan Fair. Once we were able to hold markets again Jodi welcomed me with open arms as did the vendors there. I have been gaining momentum ever since with collaborations, commissions and so much more because of both Justine and Jodi. I don’t think I would be a full-time artist at this point without any of them.

Website: www.artbyflynn.online

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artbyflynnonline/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ArtbyFlynn

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFYQC6XpXNlVkQT1JbTVknw

Other: Tiktok – https://www.tiktok.com/@artbyflynn?lang=en