Using blocks of bold, vibrant color, artist Connie Dillon paints vivid, eye-catching landscapes. Visit her website to see more of her portfolio.
“Adobe Daydreaming” Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 20”
The best time to make a change in your work is when you are satisfied already with what you are producing. This has proven true for me.
“A Garden of Verses” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 24”
My style of painting was primarily contemporary realism and I enjoyed painting anything loaded with color, concentrating on marbles and hard candy and sprinkle donuts. This was unique in my corner of Montana.
“A Day Equal to Most” Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 18”
Never one to find joy in traditional western art, the marbles cemented a following and I was glad for that; but then I listened to what works spoke to me and why they did.
“Shoulder Season” Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 18”
I wanted to do landscapes but with a twist. It made a huge impact on me when I lingered over a book of landscape paintings by multiple artists and realized how few of the works stood out for their distinctive style.
“She Sees Mirages of Mountain Ranges” Acrylic on Canvas, 30” x 15”
The look I gravitated to was that of print work—blocks of color with no shading and blending. I wanted to paint works that were detailed and yet every color would be applied as if it were an elaborate paint-by-number.
“Alive Quiet” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 24”
Having been a photographer for forty years, I have several digital files of work and my travels expand those files. My process is simple. I take my photographs and work on them in Photoshop, coming up with a print-like quality that I use as my model.
“Contemplations on the Journey of Water” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 24”
It can be challenging to come up with landscapes that are unique. That, for me, is where the fun begins. Whether it be the hills of New Mexico, a streetscape in New York City, or a coastal landscape, if it brings something memorable and remarkable, even in a quiet way, it will have an impact on someone.
“Thoughts Surface, Ideas Ripple” Acrylic on Canvas, 20” x 20”
I live in the west, where we have crystal clear streams and one can see every rock through the currents. For years I have loved photographing this subject and find it is a bit rare to see on canvas.
“Letting the Days Go By” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 14”
I believe that if you cherish your subject it will shine through your work. This year I have submitted my rocks in the water paintings into juried shows. For the first time, after submitting work for five years to a Montana art museum, an abstract painting of rocks in a stream was juried into their auction (and sold).
“Your True Colors” Acrylic on Canvas, 24” x 18”
Try, try again. I have been accepted into the Yellowstone Art Museum’s annual auction (it is the largest art museum in the region), as well as the Cape Cod Museum of Art. Jurors chose 56 works out of 700 submissions, and I am ecstatic to have been selected as well as excited to expand my artistic horizons to the east coast.
“Cliffs of Ghost Ranch” Acrylic on Canvas, 36” x 24”
Sometimes it takes a while to find your niche, but first and foremost we must be willing to hear what the art is saying to us. Second, does this jump start your creative heart? Embrace and find joy in your subject matter and it will always remain fresh and a wonderment.
Artist Connie Dillon invites you to follow her on Facebook and her Blog.
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