The love of art: Mark Mehaffey

In a studio near Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Empire, artist Mark Mahaffey is surrounded by drying canvases, the scent of paint, and the promise of “the next painting”.

“I don’t wait for inspiration,” he says, seated among his recent works. “I get to work, and the inspiration comes with it.”

For Mehaffey, a full-time artist and retired art teacher, creativity isn’t a luxury – it’s a rhythm, a practice, and a lifetime of devotion to his craft.