Mindy Flexer: Facing the Wheel

The first universal organizing principle in Mindy Flexer’s work is transformation. As a plein air painter early in her career, she recognized herself as a transient being, capturing fleeting moments. Witnessing the final days of beloved comrades and the first days of new life, she came to understand the impermanence of individual lives and entire generations. Each is born into unique causes and conditions, and each reshapes the world anew.

Flexer places herself within the great arc of time: her grandparents were shaped by WWII, her parents by the seeming bubble of post-war security, and her own life by the looming threat of nuclear war and the climate emergency threatening all life on earth. Yet, she sees her moment in history as also holding the possibility of remaking the world in ways that sustain all beings.

From this awareness emerges the second universal organizing principle of her work: interconnection. Flexer embraces the truth that everything is connected, and the climate crisis is, for her, the ultimate expression of humanity’s shared fate with all living beings.

Her paintings celebrate these truths by depicting a seamless, interconnected world of people, animals, and places—placing humanity within the web of life, not above or beyond it. To create these works, she draws on both observation and invention, combining accurate draftsmanship with gestural brushwork, realistic three-dimensional form with abstract shape, and the balance of overarching structure with nuanced detail.

Flexer uses the synergy of these opposing forces to search for deeper truths. She stands, Hineni—“here I am”—between ancestors and descendants, creating with wonder and gratitude for the mystery of existence in this pivotal moment. Through her art, she joins others in the work of remaking and repairing the world, while continually rediscovering her connection to herself, to humanity, and to the vast continuum of all that has been, is, and will be.

About the Artist: Mindy Flexer

Mindy Flexer is a magical realist oil painter, a teaching artist, and a climate activist. She is in the long lineage of Philadelphia figure painters working in the space between observation and invention.

She has exhibited at Woodmere Art Museum, The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Art in City Hall, InLiquid Art + Design, and other venues. She teaches at her studio, the home of Mindy Flexer Art School, at residencies, and at Woodmere Art Museum, where she creates annual environmental installations with young artists. She has done activist projects with POWER Interfaith, Sunrise Movement, Indivisible and other organizations. She holds a BA from Oberlin College, a BFA from UArts, and an MEd in Art from Tyler. She has studied at PAFA and the Art Students League.

Mindy loves sharing her passion for art with people of all ages and walks of life, and believes in the power of art to transform people, communities, and the world.

Mindy Flexer’s Portfolio Website

Visiting Artist Workshop: Thinking about the Environment Through Art with Mindy Flexer