Boston’s Sean Flood aspires to bring cities to life on canvas

Age: 32

Hometown: Grew up in Plymouth but calls Boston his home.

Think of: Contemporary Impressionism

What caught our eye: Flood’s ability to capture the vibe and mood of Boston, then translate it onto a canvas.

Light bulb moment: “I didn’t really start painting until sophomore year of college. I actually couldn’t stand painting . . . but then I had a painting course with George Nick [in college] and he kind of laid it out. He simplified it, I think. I really enjoyed the way he simplified it. That’s what clicked with me.”

Biggest thrill: “I get thrills from painting live or doing painting events. I used to really enjoy the graffiti events and large murals. Now I get thrills off of painting canvases live. My thrills started, certainly, with graffiti. Now I’m trying to be all grown up and keep it on canvas.”

Inspired by: “I don’t really look at a lot of artists, but I love cityscape artists. I just love a style where it can be very loose and tight at the same time,” Flood said. “Taking abstract qualities — not just trying to paint a cityscape, but trying to paint the emotion of what the city is feeling like.” He also added that his artist buddies serve as great inspiration, thanks to their different styles of work.

Aspires to: “Day-to-day the goal is to stay busy, keep painting, try to keep focused, and develop my work,” Flood said before adding that another goal is to travel and paint other cities outside of Boston. “I’ve done a little bit of traveling to Europe in the past couple years and I’ve done some painting, but I’d like to do more of that and get much more involved. I really wanted to see Naples, Italy, and I went there and saw it. That was a thrill right there. I walked inside the idea of what I wanted to paint. The whole city is beautiful.”

For good luck: Flood doesn’t have a good luck ritual per se, but he uses music to help influence his work. “Music is my biggest inspiration,” Flood said. “All kinds of stuff: jazz, hip-hop, instrumental. A lot of instrumental beats. Sometimes some crazy drum & bass. Anything that fits the environment I’m trying to get out of my paintings or the energy I’m trying to express in the cityscapes. I’m trying to include all of that musical influence in it, and almost create a beat inside the painting.”

What people should know: “I had my first big gallery show last year,” Flood remarked. “Before that, I did so many damn shows. I think it’s been a snowball effect. It’s slowly been getting bigger and bigger, and my painting has been getting more developed, so I think I’m looking forward to the next thing.”

Coming soon: Flood will showcase his work in a solo show at Kobalt Gallery in Provincetown with an opening reception on Aug. 29. He will be part of a show coming up at the Copley Society called GRIT, running Sept. 12-Nov. 1, and has pieces on display at Childs Gallery on Newbury Street, where he’ll be the subject of a solo show in November.

Online: www.seanflood.com