Lynn Metzger, a Lawrence artist, has been painting since childhood. While at Kansas University, he studied with Robert Sudlow. Metzger’s easel is surrounded by memorabilia from the 1950s and ’60s.

Lawrence artist Lynn Metzger’s paintings express a mixture of personal, professional, nostalgic and contemporary experiences.

You may have witnessed him whiz by on his restored 1960s Honda Dream 305 or pristine 1950s Triumph TR3, armed with a digital camera to capture scenes he transfers to canvas.

“It’s a bit of a different approach,” he explains. “The breeze is exhilarating. I feel I’m able to enter more fully into the landscape and experience things from a new perspective.”

Metzger’s budding artistic talents were encouraged by teachers at Central Junior High School, who entered his paintings in competitions. One sent him to art and band camp at Kansas University.

“It was my first exposure to a wider experience of art,” he recalls.

Metzger studied art at KU under the tutelage of Robert Sudlow.

“I was amazed that someone as talented as Sudlow could still be receptive to my style and encourage me to develop my own sense of color,” Metzger says.

In spite of this encouragement, Metzger felt abstract expressionism was KU art department’s main focus in the ’60s.

“I painted some in that style and appreciate those who make it work for them, but I never really embraced it for myself,” Metzger says.

He left KU in 1967 after three years.

“At some point, I felt I wasn’t cut out to be a starving artist, and it would be very difficult for me to make a living using my art,” he explains.

“I’d heard Hallmark was a great company and thought there might be something for an artistic individual there. I wasn’t aware the artwork was done at the Kansas City facility.”

He was promoted to management and says his artistic skills were often used to create and develop display work.

“I continued to paint recreationally, but mostly I concentrated on my family and day job, and suddenly I was with the company for 34 years,” he says.

In 2000, at age 54, with wife Susan’s support, he retired to pursue the passion and talent he’d put on hold in 1967 and wrote in his journal, “Let the odyssey begin …”

Metzger paints daily in his specially built “man cave” adjacent to his home. His easel is surrounded by memorabilia from the ’50s and ’60s.

“I enjoy restoring old things and appreciate the art of vintage cars and motorcycles,” he explains. “I collect far too much stuff, thus the unconventional space in which I paint.”

He’s fascinated by the sameness and changes in Lawrence.

“Many downtown businesses have changed over the years, but many of the structures remain the same as I remember them from childhood,” he says. “I’m glad my work reflects the way Lawrence looks today.”

He often includes a vehicle in his paintings and believes it helps attach a date and gives his work a historical sense.

“Lawrence is such a great place to live,” says Metzger. “I’m grateful I’m able to capture its uniqueness on canvas and have another chance to pursue my passion without worrying too much about whether my paintings sell or not.”