CONNIE CONNALLY

American, b. 1952

Connie Connally paints stunning canvases of complex elegance, with imagery that merges harmoniously and nearly completely both representational reference and powerful abstraction.

Connally’s poetic colorscapes, with their expressive brushwork, sweeping gestural marks and animated cadence, reflect the artist’s passion for distilling the essence of her observations of nature and situate her work as the vital interplay between memory and imagination. Her palette of organic color and calligraphic brushstroke combine to serve as imprint of the artist’s profound love of being in nature and the desire that her painting reflect both her exterior and interior experience of it.

Citing Joan Mitchell as an important influence on her work, Connally employs exuberant, impassioned colors laid on her canvases in a pictorial strategy that teeters between the action painting of her abstract expressionist forebears and a more refined personal style that modulates the strokes and dabs that comprise her surfaces. Her layers of brushstroke read less as agitated ruptures and more like intuitive, sensual experiences rendered as prismatic atmospheres of color and tone. Rich, multi-layered surfaces of color morph, coalesce and scatter in quietly energetic rhythms that evoke the experience of being surrounded by nature.

Connallys’ work has been exhibited extensively across the United States and is included in museum and private collections internationally.

-Ken Marvel, co-owner LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM writes of Connally

Find Connally’s Work in These Galleries

CONTACT

CV

EDUCATION

MFA - Southern Methodist University  2004
BFA - Wichita State University  (Magna Cum Laude) 1975
Oklahoma University 1970-73

GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

2013 Honorable Mention, “Small Images,” Atkinson Gallery, SBCC
2012 Art Council Award, “Lift,” Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
2012 Juror’s Award, “Small Images,” Atkinson Gallery, SBCC
2008 Hunting Art Prize Finalist (Top 5), Sponsored by Hunting PLC, Houston, TX
2004  Katerine Rigsby Dougan Graduate Scholarship, Southern Methodist University
2003  Southern Methodist University, Meadows Graduate Council Grant
2003 Best Portrait Artist in Dallas, “Best of Dallas Awards,” Dallas Observer
2002  Southern Methodist University, Full Scholarship, MFA Program
2001 Juror’s Award, “Biennial Juried Exhibition,” McKinney Avenue Contemporary
2001 Distinguished Art Award, “Ulrich Alumni Exhibition,” Ulrich Museum of Art
2001 Hawn Foundation Award, “2001 Art in the Metroplex,” Texas Christian University

PERMANENT MUSEUM COLLECTIONS

San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX
Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
The Art Museum of South Texas in Corpus Christi, TX 
The Grace Museum in Abilene, TX.  
Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, Solvang, CA​
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX
The American Kennel Club, NY, NY

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2027 The Grace Museum, Abilene, TX 2026 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX 2024 Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2022 George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2020 George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2017 Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, TX
2016 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2015 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2011 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2010 Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2009 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2009 Cain Schulte Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 Cain Schulte Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2008 Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, TX
2007 McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
2007 MMGalleries, San Francisco, CA
2006 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2004 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2002 Forum Gallery, Dallas, TX
2002 McCormick Gallery, Midland, TX
2001 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
2001 Forum Gallery, Dallas, TX
1999 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
1999 The American Kennel Club, NY, NY
1997 Anasazi Gallery, Dallas, TX
1997 ERL Originals, Winston-Salem, NC
1996 Southwest Art Gallery, Dallas, TX

PRESS

2024 Glasstire - July 19th - Jessica Fuentes - Museums in Central and North Texas Announce Recent Acquisitions
2021 Abstraction Moves Forward in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Independent, by Charles Donelan
2021 Towards a 21st Century Abstraction LUM ART MAG, by Kit Boise-Cossart
2021 Westmont Exhibition Looks at Current State of Abstraction Noozhawk.com, by Gerald Carpenter
2021 Westmont Displays Abstract Works Santa Barbara News-Press, by Dave Mason
2018 The River’s Journey; One Year, Six Artists, 92 Miles Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine, Spring 2018, BY Leslie Dinaberg
2018 The River’s Journey; One Year, Six Artists, 92 Miles Santa Barbara Seasons magazine, Spring 2018, by Leslie Dinaberg
2018 Down By, In and About the River Scene Magazine, March 23 - March 29, 2018, by Josef Woodard
2018 A River Runs Through Them: Six Artists Take “A River’s Journey”
through the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley watershed at the
Wildling Museum (Cover photo depicts Connally and her painting being hung in the museum) Santa Maria Sun, by Rebecca Rose
2018 Artists Explore River’s Journey Over Course of a Year Noozhawk, by Katie Pearson
2016 Connie Connally / Place In Time at LewAllen Contemporary, solo exhibit, essay by Ken Marvel
2015 Connie Connally, Sammy Peters / Fusion at LewAllen Contemporary, essay by Ken Marvel
2015 Color Play - Primacy Of Color In Contemporary Art at LewAllen Contemporary, essay by Ken Marvel
2013 Now and Then: contrasting Approaches to Key Themes of Modernism at LewAllen Contemporary, essay by Ken Marvel
2013 Art Things, Small and Smaller, The Scene Magazine by Josef Woodard
2013 Six Rising Stars essay by Ken Marvel, LewAllen Contemporary
2012 Small Images, The Scene Magazine by Josef Woodard
2012 Lift, The Scene Magazine by Josef Woodard
2010 Life Like Water at Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, solo exhibit
CASA Magazine, by Kerry Methner
2010 100 Grand, An Art Spree for You and Me, The Scene Magazine by Josef Woodward
2009 New Home, New Directions at Craighead Green Gallery, essay by Nance Cohen Israel
2008 Connie Connally / Liquid Line at MMGalleries, solo exhibit SPOTLIGHT, Gallery Guide West
2006  Journey Into Abstraction Dallas Modern Luxury, by Steve Carter
2002 Finding Your Visual Voice, book, 6 color plates included by Dakota Mitchell and Lee Haroun
2001 Face Time by Annabell Massey, Dallas Observer 
2000 Austin Art Scene by Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman
2000 Explorations of the Face, Both Realistic and Fanciful Art Reviews by Helen A Harrison, The New York Times (photo featured my painting)

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2025 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX - Scapes 2024 Anderson O’Brien Fine Art, Omaha, NE 2024 Sullivan Goss Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA 2024 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX - Annual Group Exhibition
2024 Paul Mahder Gallery - 10 Year Anniversary Celebration Exhibit
2024 Recent Acquisitions, San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX
2024 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2024 George Bills Gallery, New York City, NY
2021-2023 Towards a 21st Century Abstraction: (Organized Traveling Exhibition)
2023 Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
2022 San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, San Angelo, TX
2022 Arts Fort Worth, Ft. Worth, TX
2022 George Billis Gallery, Westport, CT 2021 Art Essex Gallery, Invitational Summer Exhibition
Juried by George Billis, George Billis Gallery NYC
2021 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
2021 Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay, OR
2021 Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2021 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art
2020  NYC Invitational - Art Exxex Gallery, Juried by George Billis, George Billis Gallery NYC
2020 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CT
2020 Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, Solvang, CA
2020 Sullivan Goss - An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2019 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA fall 
2018 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA spring and  summer
2018 George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
2018 Westmont RidlEy-Tree Museum of Art, Montecito, CA
2018 Wildling Museum of Art & Nature, Solvang, CA
​2018 The Arts Fund, Santa Barbara, CA
2018 Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA spring and winter
2017 Jack Meier Gallery, Houston, TX
2017 Jane Deering Gallery, Gloucester, MA
​2017 Paul Mahder Gallery, Healdsburg, CA
2017 Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2015 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2014 McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
2014 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
2014 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
2013 LewAllen Galleries, Santa Fe, NM
2013 Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2013 Santa Paula Art Museum, Santa Paula, CA
2012 Atkinson Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2012 Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2012 Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art, Santa Barbara, CA
2012 Mercedes-Benz Financial Services, Ft. Worth, TX
2011 The Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi
2011 Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview, TX
2011 Anderson O’Brien Fine Art, Lincoln, NE
2010 Sullivan Goss-An American Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
2010 Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, Santa Monica, CA
2008 Hunting Art Prize, Houston, TX
2007 Gerald Peters Gallery, Dallas, TX
2000-2014 ArtHouse at the Jones Center-AMOA, Austin, TX
2006 Bonhams & Butterfields, San Francisco, CA
2006 Michael Martin Galleries, San Francisco, CA
2004 Pollock Gallery, Dallas, TX
2001 Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita, KS
2001 The Stage Gallery, NY, NY
2001 Pleiades Gallery, NY, NY
2001 Moudy Art Gallery, Ft. Worth, TX
2001 McKinney Avenue Contemporary, Dallas, TX
2000 The Stage Gallery, NY, NY
2000 Moudy Art Gallery, Ft. Worth, TX
2000 San Diego Art Institute, San Diego, CA
2000 Visual Arts Alliance, Houston, TX
2000 Loudoun House Gallery, Lexington, KY
2000 Dallas Visual Art Center, Dallas, TX
1999-2012 Craighead Green Gallery, Dallas, TX
1995-1999 Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX