Brian Mclaughlin

Brian’s Bugs and other things…

I have loved drawing all my life, as a young child my mother would give me a pen and paper to keep me quiet during church. Growing up I was heavily influenced by Jack Kirby, my favorite comic book artist. I started painting in ninth grade. Not paying attention in art class, I just developed my own style of painting. My work is impressionistic to a degree; at times I incorporate colors or distortions that reflect my emotions at the time. Often the result resembles comic book art.

After high school and my time in the Army, I returned to Minnesota and attended Commercial Art at the Mankato Technical College. I worked in that field for ten years and found it very unfulfilling. I abandoned art and found healthcare was a much more gratifying field, I worked at Detox, the Security Hospital and Mayo for the next 20 years until retiring in 2024. During all that time I attempted to paint on and off but life was too distracting and demanding, especially while battling severe depression. After I retired, I found my passion again.

Nature has always intrigued me, and I am fascinated by the small seldom seen worlds I find. After planting a Native pollinator garden, I was amazed at all of the flowers, colors and the insects that came to live there. This inspired me to return to painting after many years to do a series of bugs. I also like doing landscapes and started incorporating bugs into them as well. Memories and experiences of growing up in Mankato, also give me inspiration. I even finished some old paintings I had started, one of which was from 1981!

After years of battling depression, painting has helped me return to the light.