Dear Reader,

Before I was brave enough to answer my true calling as an artist I was a developmental specialist who worked with children experiencing developmental delays. I have a B.A. and an M.A. in the field of psychology. I was training to become a mental health counselor when I decided to switch gears and pursue my childhood dream of becoming an artist. Now I am a work at home mom blogging and painting obsessively and I am about as happy as I have been in my entire life.

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We live in a geodesic dome in New Mexico (yes, it is hard to arrange our furniture). We’re living La Vida Loca with three barking dogs, four clucking chickens, three shiny goldfish and two wild cats. One day we will probably just have to buckle down and write our own version of The Twelve Days Of Christmas.

Jim, my husband, writes a feature called “Jim’s Corner” on Fridays, but not every Friday. He also writes about his travels and sometimes about ADHD.

Tiny-Small is our four-year old daughter. She likes animals, painting, and going down the slide. She is the only person in our family with any fashion sense and can often be found wearing 23 necklaces at a time. She wants to be a dog-doctor-princess when she grows up. She is often the star of this show.

Lillian Connelly: Artist Statement

When I was a child I created fearlessly. I used colors with confidence. My designs were made with bold lines, openness to possibilities, and a happy heart. At some point, as I grew up, I lost that confidence and purpose that I once so naturally possessed. I put aside my childhood dream of becoming an artists and turned my focus to a more “responsible” profession.

After my daughter was born, at the age of 36, my creative spark was reawakened. I started to dream big again. I wanted to wake up every morning bursting with energy and excitement about the possibilities the day in front of me held.

That’s when I recaptured my desire to be an artist and started painting again. I found myself drawn to bold, vibrant colors. These colors represented my choice to live courageously and to celebrate life by living it with passion, joy, and love. To live fearlessly.

My paintings are a pure expression of my being and reflect my choices to start living the life I was meant to live. They convey the joy I feel through the vivid, radiant, fluid colors. I spent most of my adult years thinking the life I wanted to have wasn’t a real possibility. The colors I use remind me of a sunrise. They represent being awake and invested wholeheartedly in my own life. They acknowledge that I embraced my true calling to become an artist. I hope my paintings inspire others to embrace their passions and remind them to wake up every morning bursting with energy and determined to live with courage, excitement, and love.

Sometimes I feel dreamy and bohemian. Sometimes I feel bold, eclectic, or radiant. I created my jewelry line of wearable, original art so I could express these moods as I dressed each day. Sometimes my jewelry pieces remind me of who I am. It’s almost impossible not to feel confident, original, and brave when I am wearing one of my brightly colored creations. I often feel like I am wearing a ray of sunshine around my neck. I am reminded of my own power, energy, and passion.

My jewelry was created to remind people that they shine from the inside. That they too are like a ray of sunshine. My hope is that the vivid colors, the uniqueness of each piece, and the energy in which they were created, will remind women of how beautiful, talented, and amazing they are. I hope my jewelry inspires them to live wholeheartedly each day too.

Live courageously and let your soul shine! Celebrate life by wearing original, vibrant, bursting with color jewelry. Remind yourself to live wholeheartedly by decorating your personal spaces with art that radiantly expresses the passion and excitement that you feel in your soul.

If you are interested in seeing my artwork please consider visiting my Etsy shop: Dome Life Studios or following me on Pinterest.