Alan Mynall | home
Artist's Statement
"Always fascinated by the process of making marks and creating images of the places and things - and especially the people - around me, I won prizes for art at school and went on to Art Schools in Rugby and Bristol.
I believe Marshall McLuhan did untold damage to the history of Fine Art, when he said in the 1960s, “Art is anything you can get away with.” I profoundly disagree with this assertion; if it were true, all Art would be worthless. Unfortunately this has almost become the case with the mainstream of western art.
In my experience there is nothing more fascinating and challenging than portraiture. There are so many variations on the basic pattern. Every human being is such a unique and improbable phenomenon. I try to celebrate this in each picture I make.
For example, 'Oh Yes' is a painting of a good friend, whom I have painted several times before. I don't know if I have managed to paint something about his character, our friendship, friendship in general, or something else I haven't yet thought of.
Trying to explain a painting is like trying to explain a joke - pointless and embarrassing to both parties."
About the Artist
Alan Mynall was born in the middle of the twentieth century, to a middle-sized family in a middle-sized town in the middle of England but, twenty-six years ago, moved fifty miles further south, to Oxford, "for a better climate".
From early childhood he drew and painted the things around him. He won prizes for art at school, completed a foundation course in Art & Design at Rugby School of Art and went on to the West of England College of Art, Bristol, from which he dropped out, in 1969, and became a full-time hippy for some years.
Subsequently influenced by the American Super-Realists and the English Ruralists, such as Graham and Annie Ovenden and David Inshaw, he eventually developed his own realistic style of painting. Many of his landscapes and portraits have travelled to Europe, America and Canada.
Having done innumerable and various jobs, from time to time over the years, Alan is currently concentrating all his efforts on his art, often starting his working day at 6am.
"There are no short cuts to the images I want to create; they take time and a great deal of focus."
Here's what Jenny Brookman of LondonArt says . . .
"Alan Mynall's devotion to his painting is represented by a collection of works which reflects over thirty years of experience and expertise with an unquestionable wealth of natural talent and a flair for capturing the character and soul of his subject.
His work is held in numerous private collections in Europe, America and Canada.
"Focusing on landscape and portrait painting, his ability to capture the spirit and personality of the person or environment he depicts, is where his true talent lies. 'There is nothing more fascinating and challenging than portraiture. Every human being is such a unique and improbable phenomenon; I try to celebrate this in paint'."
The results speak for themselves.
Alan's wife, Sue, is an accomplished and published artist and illustrator. See her work at www.suemynall.co.uk
Having attended Meetings for some years, Alan became a Quaker in 1996.
In 2001 he was recruited by Winsor & Newton as a demonstrator.
He has been a member of the Oxford Art Society since the late 1980s and currently serves on the committee.
Recent paintings can be seen and purchased at LondonArt.co.uk