Hi, I’m Chris Fleck.

Immersed in the subject

I was already a portrait artist when I arrived at the University of Kansas. I immerse myself in my subjects when I work. When I painted Beethoven for the local NPR station’s program cover, I listened to his symphonies the entire time I created his portrait. It helped give the piece the stormy feeling I experience while listening to his music.

Beethoven died before photography, and I didn’t want to paint from someone else’s painting. I began searching for a model with similar facial features. I told my college roommate I needed to find a man with a German nose, a cleft chin, a square jaw, deep-set eyes, and prominent cheekbones.

That’s when it hit me: Beethoven was going to be a self-portrait.

We grabbed a shop light and lit me for dramatic effect. I made the familiar Beethoven scowl while we created a series of photographs, and then I hit the studio. Near the end, I laid out images of other Beethoven portraits for reference and adjusted the facial features until the painting looked more like him and less like me.

I took a similar approach while painting classical guitarist Andrés Segovia: I listened to his music throughout the process.

Segovia was the second portrait I created for a program cover at the local NPR station in Lawrence. The station invited local artists—and soon-to-be graduates of the university’s art and design departments—to create its covers in exchange for tear sheets: unused program covers we could mail to prospective employers.

The painting also became a daunting milestone: “the best thing I ever painted.” For years, that label became a crutch. Then one day, I received a call from someone offering to buy the piece at full price. I was very reluctant to let it go, but eventually, selling it inspired me to paint again.

The painting also became a daunting milestone: “the best thing I ever painted.” For years, that label became a crutch. Then one day, I received a call from someone offering to buy the piece at full price. I was very reluctant to let it go, but eventually, selling it inspired me to paint again.

Murals and Kansas City sports

I’ve been painting murals since I was 14. Today I share that work through prints and actual-size reproductions that can transform a wall in a home or business.

Watch me at work on a mural ↗

After painting Patrick Mahomes in oils and adding him to the mural in a friend’s extreme man cave, a photograph of that room appeared in The New York Times. That exposure introduced me to a lively community of Kansas City sports artists who continue to inspire me to create.

Read the New York Times story ↗

After The New York Times ran the photograph of my extreme man-cave mural, I began receiving more commissioned work. The large Chiefs mural below—and the Royals World Series mural behind me—were created for Specialty Industries, a sheltered workshop where adults with developmental disabilities receive training to prepare for meaningful employment.

Paint what you see

One day my five-year-old daughter, Marissa—now in her 30s—tried to convince me she couldn’t paint or draw. I promised that if she gave me one day, I would prove her wrong. I did, and it became one of our favorite memories. She also remembers it as the day Dad sat on her little chair and broke it to pieces.

Once I helped her set aside those negative limitations, I asked her to paint shapes, edges, and colors as she actually saw them instead of relying on preconceived ideas. “Eyes are not shaped like footballs,” I told her. “Paint what you see.” And she did.

Once I helped her set aside those negative limitations, I asked her to paint shapes, edges, and colors as she actually saw them instead of relying on preconceived ideas. “Eyes are not shaped like footballs,” I told her. “Paint what you see.” And she did.

That is the same philosophy I share with adult students in my attic studio.

Visit Studio 2225 ↗

One creative guy

I’ve worked professionally as a freelance artist, writer, branding coach, commercial producer and director, stand-up comedian, and musician. In college, I marketed myself simply as “Chris Fleck—One Creative Guy.” That description still fits.

When I visit the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, I head straight for its Impressionist collection. I can also stand before an actual Rembrandt—my hero—and study the way he handled light, color, and form. It is always moving, and it continues to influence the way I see. From the artwork to the sculptures outside to the eclectic items in the gift shop, the Nelson is a great place for a creative jump-start.