Fred Vincent Preserves Flower Mound History One Painting At A Time
Take a tour of Fred and Mary Vincent’s home on the west side of Flower Mound, and you will see paintings with his name on them in each room. Visit various places throughout the town and you’ll find even more.
All are part of his effort to visually capture the community’s history before it’s too late with a talent he’s had as long as he can remember.
“They said I was born with a crayon in my hand,” said the 76-year-old Fred. “Some people have a spoon in their mouth. I always had a crayon in my hand. I was always drawing and sketching things a lot.”
Fred carried that love into engineering, aerotechnology, science, and management undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Texas-Arlington and Southern Methodist University. Between owning and managing a number of global businesses, flying small airplanes, and driving land speed racing cars, he’s continued his love of the arts.
“I’ve always been sketching things and drawing things,” he said. “When I traveled to the Middle East or was going East, I’d always stop at the museums in London and outside of Paris. I always loved the (French) impressionist art.”
Fred has always enjoyed art history and painting, especially the mid-to-late 1800s era works of artists like Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh.
“Art in that period just looked like a happy time,” he said. “Before that, it was very strict and structured and religious.”
Initially his work – which included charcoal sketches, acrylics, and oils – was intended only for friends and family. Whatever inspired him at the time was what he worked on. He wasn’t much interested in selling anything until 2020, when he created a piece for Cristina’s Mexican Restaurant in Flower Mound. After putting it on Facebook, people commented how much they liked it and wanted to buy it, and it took off from there.
“I thought maybe I ought to be capturing some of the farms, ranches, churches, and schools, some that are gone but there are sketches of,” said Fred, a consultant to the Flower Mound Historical Commission. “So, our Historical Commission’s (chair) Jacquelyn Narrell saw one of my French paintings and they had lived in France and England. I gave her my version of a poppy field done by Monet. She loved it and put it in her home.
“She said, ‘Why don’t you do some things for our historical commission,’ and I said ‘sure.’”
The initial result was an original painting of the Gibson-Grant House that still hangs there. Others included the new Vieux Carre Restaurant in Parker Square, the old Salerno’s Restaurant in Flower Mound, and the famous Joe T. Garcia’s in Fort Worth. He also gave a sketch to Denton County on the Fain/Cummins Ranch, which will be the Eden Ranch development, plus some schools and the Bartonville Store.
Fred autographs numbered prints of original works allowing the original to be displayed in public. His canvas prints are so lifelike they make it hard to tell them from the originals.
Today, he’s connected with the Flower Mound Lions Club which has a mission and vision to send glasses worldwide. He will donate a painting to the Lions Club for its invitation-only pre-Valentine’s Day event Feb. 1 at Vieux Carre to benefit glasses and eye surgery. He’s also currently working on illustrations and content for a children’s book on Flower Mound history.
Next yea,r he is scheduled to produce a display called Flower Mound Yesterday and Today for the Town Hall.
“I like to throw in some historical people and give it the French vibe,” he said.
He has visited many foreign lands as the long-time chair of Children’s Rescue Outreach International orphanages and clinics. He also serves as a consultant to companies around the country and prepares about one painting each month.
Most recently, he also has been traveling to Santa Fe, New Mexico, for lessons and to visit the museums and professional galleries there to learn new styles.
“I’m experimenting with different landscapes,” he said. “I want to pursue portraits.”
