Today we’d like to introduce you to Jim Connelly.
Jim, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
Not sure if mine is a unique story. It took me a while to actually start painting. I went through the traditional art school routine. Studying Illustration and Graphic Design, what was then called “Commercial Art” learning mechanicals/pasteup way before anything called Adobe Creative Suite. While at art school I got a part time job at a local company in Boston. Before I started the job the art director for the company called me and asked to see my portfolio for a part time position designing brochure, posters and everything in between.
That part time job turned into a full-time design position. Now I’m designing pieces that 9,000 employees and about 2.5 million customers see. During this time I was getting bored with doing computer graphic design and was looking for a more creative outlet. I recently moved to the Fenway area in Boston and the iconic Fenway Park was my inspiration for my first painting and this started the first of many Fenway/Red Sox themed paintings. My paintings expanded to local street scenes of Boston and the surrounding areas capturing the city from a unique perspective.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
My paintings range from urban landscapes to sailing. Focusing mostly on urban landscapes. I look at signage, buildings, rooftops, doorways from a graphic designer’s perspective. I paint mainly from photographs. I’ll usually have a camera while walking or drive around the city. Stopping to take picture from every angle I can think off. If I like the subject I’ll go back at different times of the day to see how the shadows play against the various doorways and buildings to get the best image. I’ll take the photos and crop into the photo to capture the best composition.
I like creating a painting where people look at it and try to guess where it is. I’m drawn to places were people walk and drive by every day and don’t think about until they see my paintings.
Do you think conditions are generally improving for artists? What more can cities and communities do to improve conditions for artists?
I really don’t have a handle on the conditions for artist today. I think life for artists is maybe a little easier with artist using social media like Instagram and Facebook and other social media apps for artists to promote themselves. It’s also harder for artists to get noticed because you really have to devote a large percentage of you time to promote yourself with social media and reaching out to galleries to get noticed. I’d like to see cities especially Boston devote more affordable work and living studio space for artists. I’d like to see the city devote more money to more art events in the city.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I’m currently a member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston. People can see some of my work at the gallery located on Newbury Street in Boston. I’ve exhibited at the Beacon Hill Art Walk on the first Sunday in June. I post new paintings on my Instagram jimconnellypaintings. People can also new and old work on my website www.jimconnellypaintings.com,
Contact Info:
- Address: 32 Queensberry St Boston, MA 02215
- Website: jimconnellypaintings.com
- Email: jim@jimconnellypaintings.com
- Instagram: jimconnellypaintings
Image Credit:
All images are by Jim Connelly.
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
