Connie Connally is still on a high from a recent working holiday in Italy...Painting on the go in both oil and watercolor, Connally recorded her en plein air (literally "in the open air") impressions in sketchbooks and on canvas..."You just see things so much more in depth when you're really looking at the surroundings and the environment., and how you're connecting with it," the artist enthuses.

Once in the studio, Connally will surround herself with the fruits of her on-site efforts and begin creating in oil on canvas..."all the sketches and paintings that I've done out in the field, I set them up in the studio and start responding to them," she explains.

...documenting both her trips to coastal Italy and on the waterfront of Santa Barbara, Connally's fascination with harbor scenes is predicated, in part, on what she terms a lot of "linear information." Vertical lines, sailboats, moorings, buoys and palm trees all provide interest, which is redoubled by their reflections in the water. ..."I've found that building of linear structure works beautifully for me."