Artist Statement and Bio

Connie McCoy....”The desire to paint is a gift....No one can be as happy as an artist lost in their work. It is a wonderful passion. We all see differently and therefore interpret the world differently. There is room for constant growth which is great for the body, the soul and the mind.”

Connie McCoy is inspired by nature and the dramatic effects that lighting creates. That drama stirs her to paint more than the scene or the environment itself. “ Lighting is my trigger”, she commented. Connie studied color physics in college, but still finds the phenomenon a wonderful mystery.“ Exploring color and values is another world in itself.”

I love taking representational to an abstract place. I find more excitement there. In creating abstract landscapes, she loves to develop texture with different glazes and media and the pallette knife. She has borrowed from the Impressionists the idea of introducing different colors of the same value in certain areas. She feels the loosening of the style to abstract allows her to be much bolder and expressive and fun.

She graduated with a B.S. in Advertising and Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati, College of Design, Architecture and Art and became an art director and graphic designer in Cincinnati and then San Diego. In 1985 she started her own design business. Numerous awards have been granted her in her profession including: “100 Best”, “The Best in the West”, “Illustration West”, The Creative Show of San Diego, The San Diego Union Tribune Awards, The San Diego Ad Club President’s Award and St. Regis National Packaging award. She has done package design for Costco Wholesale since 1988 when they started their Kirkland Signature generic line.

The creative process has always been part of her. After a successful career in advertising and graphic design, she dedicated more time to her passion for painting.
She started painting in oils with Sebastian Capella and Jeff Watts.
Artist Workshops she has enjoyed include: Dan Gerhardtz, Laura Robb, Carolyn Anderson, Ken Auster, Peggy Kroll Roberts, Ray Roberts, and Susan Sarback.

After detached retinas in both eyes and 10 surgeries to restore her sight, she started sculpting in clay, because she feared she might not be able to see to paint. With restored eyesight Connie still finds sculpture challenging and exhiliarating and complementing to her painting. I don’t worry about not seeing little details anymore.

She loves her journey in art because it allows you to continue to grow.

Portfolio: