26 - Cecily O'Connor

Birdline, 2021
Oil, coldwax on wood panel
16 x 16 x 1 ½ inches
Courtesy the artist

Cecily O’Connor is a mixed-media painter. She was inspired to create Birdline (2021) through her interest in bird imagery, cave paintings, and archaeological objects—time-worn, textured, and unearthed from long ago. O’Connor used a variety of materials and tools to achieve the work's distinctive, textural surface—oil, cold wax, and pencil and etching instruments. The various layers of paint come together to create a unique monochromatic color. Each line and mark conveys a different emotion.

The granddaughter of John Stanton, the well-known Bay-Area painter, O’Connor has always wanted to pursue an artistic career, but because fortune has a way of sending one on a different course than planned, she started to make art later in life. O’Connor received an AA in art from College of Marin and a BA in studio art from Sonoma State University, where she studied under Jay DeFeo. She has exhibited her work at juried shows, winning several awards. Her work is in a number of private collections.