Sonnet V (tribute to Seamus Heaney) Painting

Christine Connelly is an Irish figurative artist. Raised in a large family with eleven siblings meant there were always plenty people to draw. After training as an art teacher at Leicester University, UK, she taught in England and then in Madrid, all the while drawing and painting, mostly portrait commissions. Alongside a career in Pr in Johannesburg and London, she continued to develop her drawing and painting techniques and to experiment with different media: oil, acrylic, pastel and water colour. Then came the move to Paris where she still lives and works. In 2001she decided to concentrate solely on her art. She studied figurative painting for many years in the Ateliers of the City of Paris under the guidance of Antoine Petel and Gonzalo Belmonte. Connelly takes a break from her studio to attend life drawing sessions at the Grande Chaumière in Montparnasse. It is very convivial and helps hone drawing skills. She is a firm believer that drawing is the basis of all figurative art. Exhibitions include solo and group shows in Paris, London and Barcelona. She has participated in Art Fairs in Paris notably Le Salon d'Automne Centenary, and at the Carrousel du Louvre. She won the gold medal for her painting "Prose" at the Salon des Artistes du 15ème arrondissement, Paris in 2002 and the Jury's Special Award five years later. In 2018 she won the International Life Drawing Marathon, Montmartre Paris. Her work is included in private art collections in Europe, US and Australia.