A basement full of paintings

2/4/2026

When some people have a passion, it is something they can never get away from. And, quite often, it is something they have no desire to run away from. They run toward it, because, for them, it is comfortable. Marvin Freund’s passion for painting has survived several decades. Now in his retirement, he spends almost every day painting in his studio, doing what he loves most.

He did not always have this ability to paint as he pleased. Freund attended Iowa Central Community College to become an art instructor. He started working for a local sign company to continue saving money for his education, but before he could go back to school, he was drafted into the army.

“I got a draft notice, that was 1962, to come on down and talk to the Selective Service Board. I went down there. She said, ‘Are you in college?’ And I said, ‘I’m trying to save for college.’ And she said, ‘Well, you don’t have to worry about saving. You’ll be going next month to the army.’ ” Freund said.

He then went to Missouri for basic training, Virginia for schooling, and then spent the next year and a half in Korea. Once he returned, he started working at the sign company again.

That job kept him close to painting. He was taught how to paint billboards, highway signs and trucks. Before the sign company, in high school, Freund’s artwork started off a little “wackier” than the ones that now cover his entire basement and several of his friends and family members homes. 

“Just giving an example, a plane falling out of the sky and a pilot leaning out and blood coming out of his mouth. This instructor said, ‘Marvin, have you seen that?’ I said, ‘No, but I got a good idea.’ He said, ‘Paint things that you’ve seen,’ ” Freund said.

Now, every afternoon, Freund paints what he sees. And he paints those sights well. He does not hang on to all of his paintings, though. 

“I’ve given them away. I’ve had shows. I’ve sold some. But, I just paint for the heck of it. If you want one, you can have one,” Freund said. 

Freund describes his style as realism. His paintings cover a wide range of subjects. Baseballs. People. Flowers. His favorite? Boats. If he sees something he would like to paint, especially while on vacation with his wife, he snaps a picture and brings it home. 

What’s his process like?

“The first thing I think about is, do I have the right color paint? Because I have to go out and get some if I don’t. And, I’ve started some paintings that I blacked out because I didn’t like them. So, it’s got to be coming together. Otherwise, I just paint them white and start all over,” Freund said.

His collection of brushes could merit its own story. They set beside him at his workbench, where he was currently working on a painting of a sunset over the water. His talent for realistic paintings doesn’t keep him away from creating the strange, cartoon-like sketches and drawings he started out with. Some of them were also on the board beside his current project.

“I like to do cartoons, but I get carried away. As you can tell, it’s sort of wild, isn’t it? I’ve done a lot of them and ripped them up and thrown them away. They’re fun, though, aren’t they? I like to dabble in different faces,” Freund said.

Most of all, for Freund, the practice is a great escape. 

“I relax down here, and nobody bugs me. It’s just me and throwing on some paint,” Freund said.

He has done some paintings for friends. They bring him a reference photo, and Fruend works his magic. He puts the brush to the surface and makes it happen.

One would think that, even with his skill, these paintings would be a challenge.

“You know, it’s not really hard for me. It’s sort of easy. Matter of fact, I have people sending me pictures of animals to paint, and I paint them. I don’t know how many dogs or cats I painted. They’re easy. I have no problem with them once I get started,” Freund said.

That ease likely comes from years of practice. Freund has participated in several art shows over the years. He is not sure exactly where all of his paintings will go, but his wife has a plan.

“My wife would like to see me get rid of them,” Freund said with a chuckle. “I’m getting old. She’s going to give them away at our funeral. So, who knows?” ♦