Nicholas (Nick) Mynheer

Portions from Nick Mynheer's website and Flickr

Nicholas (Nick) Mynheer (Artwork for many Continental Software titles)

"Nicholas Mynheer studied Graphic Design at the Hornsey College of Art in London, graduating in 1981. After spending several years working in Advertising he turned to painting full time, then subsequently sculpture and glass design.

A rigorous simplicity typifies Mynheer's work, whether it be in stone, oil or glass. Anything superfluous to the design is omitted and anything deemed important emphasised.

Largely figurative his work is almost always biblically based and has a linear quality that is richly expressive."

I had some e-mail conversation with Nick in February 2013, where he remembered doing the Continental artwork. Nick thinks that the Continental artwork was probably his first commission after leaving Art School, he recalled that the games were extremely basic and so watched them on a screen, then tried to come up with an image that captured the idea.

He painted a dozen or more pictures for Continental games and still has all of the original artworks. Most were 10" X 15" - "Airbrushed Gouache" (not being in any way artistic myself, I had to look that one up! - you can see it described by following this link) on board, Blobbo and Draughts were produced as large posters as well.

Nick kindly sent me images of some of the original artwork and copies of some tape covers, I have made them available here.

The following details were downloaded from Martin Beek's "Oxford Church Photos" page on Flickr

"Nicholas Mynheer's work is well known in Oxfordshire from his work at North Leigh , St John's College Chapel, and Beckley. He is a contemporary artist whose principal themes are biblical, not only does Mynheer work in oil but also in glass and stone. For twenty years Nicholas has been painting and sculpting cheifly around Biblical themes for churches and religious institutions. His artworks are in many churches of all traditions throughout Britain and beyond, see Newcastle Cathedral and recently Great Missenden and sculpture at Sir Harold Hiller Arboretum, Hampshire.

Mynheer's painting in the Methodist collection depicts the traditional scene of the Holy family taking rest in the desert on their way to Egypt fleeing from the wrath of Herod. (Matthew 22:13-15) Of the work Mynheer said: " I remember being told that the Judean Desert blooms with wild flowers for about two weeks every spring. I had the idea that as the Holy Family travelled across the desert it flowered in response to the presence of The Lord." It echoes the words of The Benedicte "O All ye works of the Lord: praise him , and magnify him forever."

Mynheer's work is highly styalised, rather like medieval images in stained glass, sometimes his figures have an almost comic book cartoon like quality with a strong expressionistic force akin to some early C20 German paintings by Beckman, his colours like stained glass are very intense and saturated.

Nicholas Mynheer studied at Hornsey College of art; he is a native of Oxfordshire and lives and works in Horton cum Studley. See window at his local church St Barnabas Horton Cum Studley. He feels naturally feels very attached to the landscape of Otmoor and has recently carved a number of "Green Men" from stone. He said "I think of the Green Man as an ancient-somebody who's been around forever. I've lived my life in the countryside, so I suppose as my faith and belief in God developed it became very nature based, even though it is Christ-centered." Mynheer's images seem to be influenced by many of the medieval carvings of his native Oxfordshire churches, possibly the carvings on misericords at New College or the Green Man at South Leigh."