THE ART community of East London this week lost a gem, when the Ann Bryant Art Gallery’s Terence “Terry” Walter Flynn lost his battle with pneumonia.

Flynn, 64, was an artist extraordinaire, poet and raconteur, who lived in East London for many years having grown up in Cathcart. His family then moved to Port Elizabeth, and decided to settle in the Redhouse suburb.
Flynn was educated at Queen’s College, spending most of his school life at boarding school. He later obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Rhodes University, majoring in English literature.
Flynn was an individual who could walk with kings, yet not lose touch with the most ordinary of folk. At one time he had been placed in solitary confinement in the military for being non-conformist, and remained emotionally scarred by the treatment he received, having spent a couple of years recovering from the experience.
Flynn’s compassion extended to the poor and humanity in general, often said it was not good to take oneself too seriously.
A charismatic individual, his main weapon was his sarcastic wit.
His art is a reflection of himself, and, his paintings which had a trademark blue colour, fascinated him all his life. His favourite place was Nahoon Beach, where he spent many hours sketching and filling his diary with memories of the people he met.
The Ann Bryant Art Gallery became a place of refuge for Flynn, where he could be surrounded by a profession he truly loved.
He believed that sharing was very important in our society and stuck to that belief, along with his own striving for self-expression.
Beggars seldom left the Ann Bryant empty-handed.
Chairman of the East London Fine Art Society for many years, he truly embraced a spirit of giving in the community.
Flynn said in The Collector’s Guide to Art and Artists in South Africa: “I paint landscapes and seascapes, attempting to portray an ideal world, often including references from literature”.
The GO! & Express often worked with Flynn, as one of the custodians of the Ann Bryant Gallery, and will be sorely missed, as he was part of the GO family. The GO would like to extend its sincere condolences to Flynn’s family and friends and the art community as a whole. He will be missed, but lives on in his art and poetry.
The East London Fine Art Society open their annual exhibition today at 6.30pm and Flynn’s work will also feature on the exhibit.
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SORELY MISSED: Artist, poet and friend to many, Terence Flynn died last week at 64