Tim Lindquist began painting when he was just a teenager. A friend invited him over to learn how to create a dog on canvas, and Lindquist was hooked. He asked for paints that Christmas and considered majoring in art at college. But he chose accounting instead, becoming an educator and professor at the College of Business. 

Now, at 65, Lindquist has rekindled that love for art, in addition to his love for teaching.  

“My entire professional career, I didn’t have time for art,” Lindquist said. “But when I turned 60 [five years ago], I thought if I don’t do this now, am I ever going to do it?” 

Lindquist emulates the style of Edward Hopper, a famous American realist painter well known for his oil creations. Lindquist also learned from well-known Midwest artist John Heath in college. Lindquist often pulls from his hometown, UNI’s campus and other personally significant locations for inspiration. 

Lindquist starts his paintings by looking at photographs, then throwing in his own twists. For ideas, he follows photographers on Instagram and takes his own pictures from time to time. 

“I save them in folders on my phone,” Lindquist said. “When I got outside to paint, I start going through these pictures. I like to embellish them as well.” 

One of his favorite paintings is of McSorley’s Old Ale House, an Irish bar in New York City. It’s one of Lindquist’s first creations, inspired by a trip he took to the city with some friends from Austria. He wanted to visit the historic bar, but they didn’t go. So, Lindquist decided to make it himself. 

“To paint that building and have it look as real as it did, I was pretty happy with it,” Lindquist said. 

He’s done quite a few paintings of his hometown of Marquette, Michigan, including a portrait of downtown and the local theater. Lindquist has also done a seasonal series of the UNI Campanile, depicting it in the winter, fall and spring. 

Lindquist is open about his hobby with his students. Sometimes they are surprised to hear he’s an artist, booting the age-old stereotype of accountants. 

“That stereotype really is just a stereotype because so many of my students are creative,” Lindquist said. “The general reaction to an accounting professor is you’re boring, but by the time most have had me as a professor, they know I’m not boring.” 

Lindquist doesn’t have any plans to retire, so he’ll keep painting in his free time, particularly in the summers. He has dreams of renting out a second-floor studio downtown somewhere, but he doesn’t want that to come at the expense of educating.  

“I thrive on interaction,” Lindquist said. “I love what I do so much, so I’ll continue doing this as a hobby.” 

You can find Lindquist’s creations and artist bio on his website.