Hope Flynn is an emerging disability artist, muralist, and illustrator known for her captivating animal paintings. In 2018, she graduated from OCAD University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree specializing in Drawing and Painting. Since her graduation, her artwork has focused on the realism of animal and pet paintings. Notably, she has been awarded grant funding from the Ontario Art Council, Career Launcher Fund and Starter Company Plus.
Having successfully sold over 500 custom pet and animal paintings worldwide, Hope is now eager to expand her artistic portfolio into the public art practice. Inspired by her desire to bring joy to others through her custom artwork, in 2021, she took the Mural Routes program “Introduction to Mural Art.” This program developed her interest in mural-making skills and wanting to create art that can interact and engage within the community. From this opportunity, she was commissioned to create vibrant animal murals, vinyl wraps and public arts for the Arthritis Society, StreetARToronto, Tiff, Grimsby Public Art Gallery, Bericap, OCAD University, Collingwood Arts and Culture, Arts Milton, City of Waterloo and Burlington Public Arts. The main goal in painting these animal murals is to capture the animal’s soul; she focuses on the animal’s eye to express their emotions.
In Hope Flynn’s vision, the 1963 mural revolves around the evolution of the autism symbol, known as the “puzzle piece,” which held its significance from 1963 to 2018. During this period, the prevalence of autism diagnoses was 1 in 66. Transitioning to the present(mural with white background which is underway), the new symbol of autism is the infinite symbol, adopted in 2018, aligning with the current statistics of 1 in 50 individuals diagnosed with autism.
Hope Flynn has enriched the murals by incorporating additional elements: animals, landscapes, and iconic structures within Milton, all enveloped within the infinite symbol. This artistic fusion conveys why the autism community gravitates toward the infinite sign. It stands as a representation of boundless potential residing within individuals with autism, encapsulating their endless prospects and unique abilities.
The murals are underway and serve as a testament to Hope Flynn’s thoughtful conceptualization. By intertwining the narrative of autism’s symbolic journey with vivid depictions of local landmarks and nature, the mural showcases a transformative emblem and fosters understanding, acceptance, and admiration for the remarkable diversity within the autism community.
Hope is a returning artist to Arts Milton’s Exclusively Inclusive programming, having designed a traffic box mural which appears at Main Street and Maple Avenue/Sinclair Boulevard)
My spectrum artwork represents people who have disabilities. As a person with Autism, my disability affects my everyday life, but it is a disability that people can’t see. For example, when I’m on a train of thought, sometimes I forget the words I want to say even though I have a picture inside my head. This is why I drew computer chip lines in the background to represent the inside of my head. Sometimes the wires are connected, and other times it does not click; when I am having trouble with words. The birds and the flowers represent what’s going on inside my head when I have a clear picture in my head but do not have the words to describe what I’m seeing. When people look at me, they don’t see a disability, and sometimes people judge how I speak. I hope it opens the viewers’ minds about neurological disability and that not every disability is something that you can see.
