ARTIST MEMBER Eileen O’Connor

With little or no formal training in art, I started enjoying the medium of oils by experimenting with small paintings in my teens.

Once in a while I tried working on location, setting up my easel around town. I soon learned that people wanted to watch and that was difficult. So I take photographs of interesting houses, barns and flowering gardens in the old neighborhoods nearby. Then I try to paint from those, changing little things here and there. My paintings tend to be large and very colorful. My brush strokes make the texture appear very thick, when in reality I use a minimal amount of paint.

My paintings show every season of the year and I feel at peace with myself when painting. Painting is both an avenue of release for me and a creative delight.

I loved reading this quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: ‘The artist creates goodness and beauty. I love all that is good and beautiful.