Marvin Flynn uses traditional oil paints and says just the smell of the oil paint in his studio gets his creativity  flowing.  He has studied art informally all his life.  He was first introduced to the art of the Old Masters during the six years he lived in Europe.  His exposure to these works made a tremendous impact and irrevocably set him on his current artistic journey.  He feels the works of the Old Masters had the most impact on establishing his passion for painting and feels study of the 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.  His 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 and flowers from his garden.  “I love the look of well-used books, candle holders, and old pitchers with their beautiful “S” curves.  They remind me of 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 on canvas”, he says.