Anthony Connolly

Sitting to a portrait painter is, for most of us, an unusual experience. The sitter or the commissioner might have specific ideas about the project and these could be discussed and included at any stage during the process. Once the sittings start there is conversation and quiet, calculation and an intense self-awareness. That initial self-consciousness soon evaporates, however, and is replaced by an almost therapeutic calm. The painter talks a little but his real concern; fixing and forming your likeness on the canvas in front of him soon absorbs his attention. A portrait is a visual record of those few still hours. It is not a snapshot but an accumulation of observations, carefully and thoughtfully made. There is beauty and wonder in every face and the painter’s purpose is to reveal those qualities through precise and sympathetic draftsmanship. The result is unique and always surprising. It is not frozen in time but will belong to each new generation in a completely fresh and memorable way.

Anthony Connolly trained at Goldsmith’s College. He now lives with his family in Wiltshire. For several years he has exhibited at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters annual exhibition at the Mall Galleries. Before becoming a full time painter Anthony taught for several years and still runs drawing and painting courses. He has a studio at his home near Salisbury but is always pleased to travel to work with his subjects in their own homes or elsewhere.
  

Email this artist: anthonyconnolly@therp.co.uk