Michael Flohr is a contemporary oil painter who is best known for his impressionistic urban landscapes. His scenes are known for "depicting ordinary moments in extraordinary ways" and his work has been called, "an intellectually artistic mastery of color, perspective, technique and vision that redefines impressionism and abstract expressionism".

Early life

Michael Flohr was introduced to art at an early age. As a five-year-old child, Michael Flohr was diagnosed with dyslexia. He went to tutoring in the mornings, where he was first instructed in painting, and began oil painting at the age of eight. Flohr went to work in a casino in San Diego, but still had an affinity for painting. As art continued to be a strength for Flohr, he decided to attend the San Francisco Academy of Art University

Academy of Art University

The Academy of Art University , a for-profit university owned by the Stephens Institute, was founded in San Francisco, California in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens...

, where he "experimented with all types of media and artistic styles".

Career

"During his final year at the school he was accepted into the prestigious New York Society of Illustrators

Society of Illustrators

The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...

, joining the likes of Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell

Norman Percevel Rockwell was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening...

 and Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish

Maxfield Parrish was an American painter and illustrator active in the first half of the twentieth century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery.-Life:...

". Michael Flohr graduated from the San Francisco Academy of Art University

Academy of Art University

The Academy of Art University , a for-profit university owned by the Stephens Institute, was founded in San Francisco, California in 1929 by Richard S. Stephens...

 in 2000. In the same year, the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum

M. H. de Young Memorial Museum

The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, commonly called simply the de Young Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It is named for early San Francisco newspaperman M. H...

 included Michael Flohr's paintings into its exhibition in Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park

Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...

. Flohr then traveled to Europe to study impressionistic techniques.

Michael Flohr began selling his artwork professionally in 2001, signing a contract for international distribution with Crown Thorn Publishing. He emerged as a young master and achieved enormous success in the following years. He sells originals and 195 fine art limited editions, 25 Artist's proof

Artist's proof

An artist's proof is, at least in theory, an impression of a print taken in the printmaking process to see the current printing state of a plate while the plate is being worked on by the artist...

s, and 10 Printer's proofs.

Style

Michael Flohr's technical style, loosely defined as “Urban Impressionism”, “has been described as a combination of avant-garde

Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

, abstract expressionism

Abstract expressionism

Abstract expressionism was an American post–World War II art movement. It was the first specifically American movement to achieve worldwide influence and put New York City at the center of the western art world, a role formerly filled by Paris...

 and impressionism

Impressionism

Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement that originated with a group of Paris-based artists whose independent exhibitions brought them to prominence during the 1870s and 1880s...

”. He uses square brush strokes with elevated texture.
When asked about his influences, Flohr says:

The works of impressionist artists throughout history inspire me, specifically Pissaro

Pissaro

Pissaro may refer to:*Camille Pissarro French Impressionist painterSons of Camille:*Félix Pissarro painter, etcher and caricaturist*Georges Henri Manzana Pissarro French artist...

, Monet, Manet

Manet

-MANET as an abbreviation:*MANET is a mobile ad hoc network, a self-configuring mobile wireless network.*MANET database or Molecular Ancestry Network, bioinformatics database-People with the surname Manet:*Édouard Manet, a 19th-century French painter....

, and Degas. Like these artists, I prefer to work in oils. I love oil paint because of its durability and the richness it brings to the canvas. I also believe that most people with an appreciation for art respect an artist's use of this classic medium.

I do not work with models. I prefer to sketch 'in the moment' as a scene unfolds, most often with charcoal. Many times, these sketches will become works of art in themselves, because they capture a different mood. Sometimes I work with candid photographs. I look for visual clues in a scene and then consider the overwhelming choices of color I can use to create my interpretation of an image. Observation is everything for me. Whether it is seen, heard or read; it is all connected to that which can be processed into a visual.

Quotation

“My biggest inspiration in creating my art is everyday life. I have a huge passion to record humanity on canvas, the good and the bad; it is all beautiful to me.”

“[A painting] can just be something that pleases your eye. It doesn’t have to have a meaning. You don’t have to dissect it. Enjoy its beauty and what it brings to you.”

Exhibitions / Collections / Selected Works

• Exhibition, Irish Coffee, at San Francisco’s M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
  M. H. de Young Memorial Museum
  The M. H. de Young Memorial Museum, commonly called simply the de Young Museum, is a fine arts museum located in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park. It is named for early San Francisco newspaperman M. H...
  
   in Golden Gate Park
  Golden Gate Park
  Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
  
  
• New York Art Expo sell-out shows (2002–2009)
• 2007 Exhibition at Galeria del Mar, Saint Augustine, FL
• 2008 Exhibition at Galeria del Mar, Saint Augustine, FL
• 2009 Exhibition at Galeria del Mar, Saint Augustine, FL
• 2010 Exhibition at Galeria del Mar, Saint Augustine, FL

Awards and Honors

• New York Society of Illustrators
  Society of Illustrators
  The Society of Illustrators is a professional society based in New York City. Founded in 1901, the mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history...
  
  
• Herman Lambert scholarship
• 50 People to Watch in 2007
• Today’s Top Artist (2007–2010) by Art Business News
• San Diego Ranch & Coast Magazine’s “Best Artist”

External links

• http://www.cutterandcutter.com/
• http://michael-flohr.blogspot.com/
• http://www.lovesemporium.com/catalog.php?cid=71
• http://www.ecgallery.com
• http://www.michaelflohr.net