AR TIS T M

FEA TURE

Michael Flohr

any have always wanted to know how to become a famous artist but there is no secret

or shortcut. For artist Michael Flohr, the journey began in elementary school when he was diagnosed with dyslexia. After falling behind in school, he was tutored in various subjects, and it was around this time that he began taking art classes. Talent, when combined with unrelenting work ethic, yields the kind of promise that the Academy of Art University in San Francisco sought in Michael Flohr. There, Flohr underwent many rigorous classes, worked long hours, and challenged his artistic limits. He was the eager student, willing to stay after class to take optional courses. He spent these years living in a cramped San

“Leaning Towards Love”, Oil on Canvas, 12” x 24” 24

Francisco studio apartment, shoving canvases under the bed because he had no other room to store them. His hard work paid off when he was chosen to exhibit one of his paintings, titled Irish Coffee, at the famous De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. Now, Michael Flohr is married to his wife and muse, Melissa, with three beautiful children. They have settled near his hometown in San Diego and he exhibits in galleries all over the country. His collectors come from all over the world, but they recognize something universal in the art that Flohr creates. They see romance, a love for people and their interactions, a story told from the eye of the observer. “I am the guy in a cafe,” Flohr says, “noticing a beautiful, warm, orange-violet light chipping on people’s faces across the room, and immediately thinking of ways to combine color and capture that moment in my next painting.”

OFF THE EASEL MAGAZINE – SPRING 2015