I was born in St Paul, MN, but left for the West Coast soon thereafter (currently living in Netarts, Oregon).
I graduated from Portland State University with a degree in English Literature, but have neither taught nor written a novel.
I enrolled in Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, but left without graduating.
I started painting in 2009 and can't stop.
Connie is a founding member of Art Accelerated.
I graduated from Portland State University with a degree in English Literature, but have neither taught nor written a novel.
I enrolled in Northwestern School of Law at Lewis and Clark College, but left without graduating.
I started painting in 2009 and can't stop.
Connie is a founding member of Art Accelerated.
Artist Statement
I have always been more verbal than visual in my thinking, my problem-solving and my approach to painting. While this means that I rarely have a full-blown visualization of a painting at the outset, I think it helps me with the initial conceptualization (which I experience in words) and the problem solving that goes into getting from a concept to a finished painting. I don't know how other artists work, but I literally talk myself through a painting from beginning to end. Often that requires talking over the voice of my inner critic.
I prefer painting with oils, but enjoy experimenting with other media and processes. I am messy. I tend to be impulsive. I require a degree of chaos to feel that I am working well. As inconvenient as oils can be (think clean up, drying time, oily rags…) I like the fact that they slow me down a bit to at least consider my next step. I often do things that I know won’t work, even though I hate to go back later & repair “the damage.” Painting in oil doesn’t dissuade me from these behaviors, but -because I just go ahead & do them anyway- I end up with a lot of layering & textures that I would never have achieved if I’d been more cautious about my actions!
I love to begin a painting, hate the middle (which feels as though it goes on & on & on) and love the excitement of the finis,(though I often decide it wasn't really the finish but more of the middle). I like choosing a title for a piece, hate framing, and I stress-out for weeks before a show. I am always relieved when my work is hanging and it is “showtime.” Generally by then I have forgotten all the mean things my inner critic has been saying!
I have always been more verbal than visual in my thinking, my problem-solving and my approach to painting. While this means that I rarely have a full-blown visualization of a painting at the outset, I think it helps me with the initial conceptualization (which I experience in words) and the problem solving that goes into getting from a concept to a finished painting. I don't know how other artists work, but I literally talk myself through a painting from beginning to end. Often that requires talking over the voice of my inner critic.
I prefer painting with oils, but enjoy experimenting with other media and processes. I am messy. I tend to be impulsive. I require a degree of chaos to feel that I am working well. As inconvenient as oils can be (think clean up, drying time, oily rags…) I like the fact that they slow me down a bit to at least consider my next step. I often do things that I know won’t work, even though I hate to go back later & repair “the damage.” Painting in oil doesn’t dissuade me from these behaviors, but -because I just go ahead & do them anyway- I end up with a lot of layering & textures that I would never have achieved if I’d been more cautious about my actions!
I love to begin a painting, hate the middle (which feels as though it goes on & on & on) and love the excitement of the finis,(though I often decide it wasn't really the finish but more of the middle). I like choosing a title for a piece, hate framing, and I stress-out for weeks before a show. I am always relieved when my work is hanging and it is “showtime.” Generally by then I have forgotten all the mean things my inner critic has been saying!
