These Retirees Were Just Artists in Waiting

Mike Flynn, 71

Watercolors and oil painting, mixed media, Manassas, Virginia

Flynn began taking weekly art classes while still working as a U.S. postal inspector. He retired in 2001. “I was taking workshops and lessons, and I got hooked,” he says. “Unfortunately, we didn't have any art classes in the high school I went to, so I kind of missed out on any sort of art, or being interested in an art career. I realized I had missed a lot."

Michael Severin, 74

Contemporary impressionist painting, Sonora, California

Severin worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 36 years and started painting seriously only after retiring. It's a pursuit with real meaning. “I hope my paintings will last forever. For me, my paintings are my footprints — that I was here at some point on Earth."

Mark Witzling, 61

Oil and cold wax painting, St. Louis

Witzling worked in brand marketing in his original career, but he found himself transfixed by art when viewing masterpieces 20 years ago. “I didn't pick up art until my wife and I went on an anniversary trip to Europe. And I was asking, ‘What was Michelangelo thinking?’ It just sparked an interest, and my wife encouraged me to pursue it.” He rarely uses brushes but instead works with scrapers, old credit cards and palette knives. “I started painting in a local studio, and then I just kept going.”

Karen Shulman, 69

Photography, Fort Myers, Florida, and Plymouth, Massachusetts

Shulman worked as an occupational therapist and later in pharmaceuticals, eventually becoming an associate director of medical education. But when her company was bought, she left to focus on her photography. She has had no formal art training and often breaks the “rules.” But, she says, “that's what makes it work.”

Chris Motley, 73

Fiber art, San Francisco

Motley learned to knit as a child. Now she creates sculpture from hand-knit fibers. “Before I retired [from a law career 14 years ago], I had started seeing knitting in three dimensions other than clothing. And I had started selling neck pieces, which had dimension to them. And it just took off from there. Once I retired, I had time for creativity."

Chris Maynard, 67

Feather art, Olympia, Washington

Maynard chose feathers as his medium because he “wants to fly but can't.” Before his artistic career, Maynard worked for the state of Washington, managing waterflows on the rivers to protect the salmon stocks. Now he looks to the sky. “Feathers and birds are symbols of achievement, escape and transformation."