Artist Statement

"I have never been interested in anatomical or biological illistration as such, nor in the human figure. The sheer beauty of color and form in nature are my inspiration, as is the work of other artists"

- Mary Jo McConnell

I believe people should spend as much of their life as possible doing what they enjoy. And if they enjoy what they are doing they will do it well. They are fulfilled and pass their joy on to others. They contribute not only the beauty they create, but the joy that comes from creation. 

The sheer beauty of color and form in nature are my inspiration as well as the successes of other artists. The fine hairs on Jim Dine’s paintbrush etchings, the sheer joy of Rothko’s colors, the purity of a Luis Barrigan wall of color. I love the simplicity and realness of a feather, its overwhelming color. I love the rationality of its construction and the freedom and moving grace of its vital form. 

My Mentors: 

Mrs. Frederic Bartlett
S. Dillon Ripley
E.O. Wilson
Oliver Sacks
Vincent van Gogh
Alfred Russell Wallace
Leonardo da Vinci
Beryl Markham
Virginia Woolf