Neal Von Flue
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www.creativitydiagram.com
Neal Von Flue
@www.creativitydiagram.com
160 followers 150 following 51 posts
Visual artist, educator, writer, occasional banjo player. Mostly just here for the Nancy and Gus Arriola comics.
New book out: www.creativitydiagram.com
website: www.nealvonflue.com
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Wherever you get books: www.creativitydiagram.com
Part theory & part field guide, this portable primer is a practical map for working artists. It treats your creative practice like a living ecosystem built on three forces: Study, Influence, and the Individual. #BookSky #Writersky #Authorsky #ArtSky
A photograph of 3 copies of the book "The Creativity Diagram" by Neal Von Flue.
September 20, 2026 at 2:31 PM
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Another aspect is the layer where I asked the AI to generate a commentary about it's own consumption. It turned in something that vacillated wildly in tone. No real surprise there, but I came to appreciate the voicing. It complements the ambiguity I hope to achieve in the work.
August 2, 2026 at 3:47 PM
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A couple of plein air paintings done over Thanksgiving week in the high desert. Oils on clayboard.

I can see how plein air painting can become the only thing that some people do.
Small oil painting of the California desert. Small oil painting of the California desert.
November 30, 2025 at 6:12 PM
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“Franklin and Eucalyptus, El Segundo” mixed media on wood, 26”x28”
Photo of an cluttered art studio with a mixed media cityscape painting in the center of the frame. Photo of a mixed media cityscape painting. Detail photo of a mixed media cityscape.
June 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM
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#sketch of a window in Scotia, California.
Pencil sketch of a curtained hotel window early in the morning.
April 12, 2025 at 1:01 PM
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#sketch of a gaggle of Rube Goldbergs, with humorous additions.
Sketches of Rube Goldberg with humorous additions, in blue pencil.
April 8, 2025 at 4:52 PM
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#sketch of Jason Isbell. Sorting through his new record. Looking at him through the leaves.
#sketchbook
Photo of a sketchbook page on a table, seen through some leaves. The sketch is a big headed cartoon version of musician Jason Isbell.
April 5, 2025 at 3:28 PM
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“Always Have A Teacher No.5” #oilonpanel #oilpainting #portrait
An oil painting on panel depicting crashing waves of a rocky shore as background while on the right foreground a woman with a weary smile looks at the viewer and, on the left, a translucent ghost-like image of a man in uniform mirrors her composition, yet blends into the background.
April 1, 2025 at 4:57 AM
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The Second Angriest Dog in the World”
Oil on panel 24”x36”
An oil painting depicting a worried woman on the right, while behind her the same scene—a woman standing in a desert landscape next to a large succulent—is shown in two angles overlaid on each other. The more stable color version is distorted, and haunted by the ghostly version in correct perspective. The tell tale black lodge herringbone floor creeps in from the bottom left while in the distance a shaky pencil drawn shack release curly smoke from the chimney.
March 16, 2025 at 5:42 PM
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#oilpainting #oilonpanel #distortion #cactus
Oil painting on wood. A distorted image of a woman proudly posing next to a cactus. Oil painting on wood. Closer view of a distorted image of a woman proudly posing next to a cactus. Oil painting on wood. A closer view of distorted image of a cactus proudly posing next to a woman. Oil painting on wood. an even closer view of a distorted image of a woman proudly posing next to a cactus.
December 22, 2024 at 6:54 PM
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“Always Have a Teacher #2” made from separate lessons found in books from the vintage Walter T. Foster how to paint series.
#oilpaint #oilpainting #oilonwood #contemporaryart #art
Warm toned landscape painting of a sparsely wooded area with a small river. Two dog heads float in the space, one facing downward, the other upside down and barking.
November 25, 2024 at 3:10 PM
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Three wise monkeys, Oil on panel.
#oilpainting
oil painting of three men sitting on a wall in a desert scene. Each one acting as one of the three wise monkeys- speak no evil, hear no evil, see no evil.
November 22, 2024 at 3:58 AM
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Three color scissor paintings, approx. 30" x 40"

#oilpaint #oilonpaper #stilllife #collage #texture #contemporaryart #painting #cadmiumred #hansayellow #ceruleanblue #cobaltblue
A mixed media painting on paper of a pair of scissors made from collaged images against a red background. A mixed media painting on paper of a pair of scissors made from collaged images against a yellow background. A mixed media painting on paper of a pair of scissors made from collaged images against a blue background.
October 27, 2024 at 3:36 PM
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Over summer I practiced #inking. Here is a #WWII #ghostrider #artprocess.
#pencildrawing to #inkdrawing to #colordrawing
I imagine him on his burning #harleydavidson WLA crisscrossing Europe delivering vital info, and crossing publishers to meet up with #SGTRock, the #creaturecommandos and #GIRobot
A pencil drawing of ghost rider sitting on his bike in WWII An image of ghost rider in WWII sitting on his bike drawn in ink An color illustration of ghost rider in WWII sitting on his bike
September 29, 2024 at 4:51 PM
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“Scissors 12, Cadmium and Cobalt”
Collage and Oils in Paper. 2024
Collage painting of a pair of scissors with red background. Detail view of a collage painting of a pair of scissors with red background Detail view of a collage painting of a pair of scissors with red background Detail view of a collage painting of a pair of scissors with red background.
July 22, 2024 at 2:05 PM
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Current work: doing some pieces using a pair of vintage shears. This is a pencil drawing and a charcoal/ink drawing, each done on vellum then cut up and woven together.
#drawing #ink #fineart #pencil #contemporaryart #scissors
Artwork of two pairs of scissors woven together into a single image. Closer image of a drawing of two pairs of scissors woven together.
June 8, 2024 at 6:14 PM
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After a number of years not drawing digitally, I have picked up an iPad Pro.
Here is a 30 minute drawing of my dog to test inking in Procreate. So far it is a very dangerous tool, as it makes you much better than you actually are. #art #digitalart #procreate #tripawd
Digital drawing of a tri-pawed named Gus.
March 31, 2024 at 4:50 PM
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Brush pen and Dr. Martens
#classsample #artteacher #inkdrawing #drawing #painting
Ink drawing of a skull with pink paint added
March 19, 2024 at 12:53 PM
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#Portrait of Emperor Joshua Norton, started as a #classsample for historical portrait using #mixedmedia & related #collage. I like the portrait in his hair that made all the good texture.
This image is included in the Emperor Norton Trust & archive.
#art #painting #history #artteacher #emperornorton
portrait of Emperor Joshua Norton close up view of in-process portrait of Joshua Norton's head, showing a small copy of his portrait, being used to build hair texture. detailed view of portrait of Emperor Joshua Norton, showing a small copy of his portrait in the negative space.
March 3, 2024 at 2:25 PM
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A series of figure drawing samples for my class. From gesture studies to 10 minutes, poses found on Line of Action.
#figuredrawing #figurativeart #artteacher
February 27, 2024 at 3:26 AM
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“Sleep, Ethical Hedonist” in process, oil painting on collaged pages from army training manuals.
#oilpaint #collage #contemporaryart
January 8, 2024 at 2:06 PM
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portrait study, oil paint on paper
December 22, 2023 at 2:34 PM
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Bison Study—mixed media on paper.
December 8, 2023 at 10:44 PM
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Working title- “Friedl Dicker-Brandeis Considers Two Luzon Bleeding Hearts While Flanked by Horrors” or maybe “…Flanked by Realities”
Oil on canvas with collage and mixed media.
November 10, 2023 at 4:09 PM
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I've been trying to find my way back to art as therapeutic expression, not just an intellectual one. Friedl Dicker-Brandeis is the mother of art therapy, so I thought I'd do a portrait of her. First an expressive line study- she often had students try that- then develop a painting on top. 1 hr in...
Expressive brush stroke on a canvas a value study painting of a woman with her hand on an object in front of her.
October 12, 2023 at 4:30 AM