Jay Hall Connaway, October Sea, 1939, oil on artist’s board, 29 1/8 x 39 1/8 inches. From the collection of Mrs. Marjorie B. Osborne (Mrs. Gordon Osborne).

Bold brushwork and a subtle palate served as hallmarks of Jay Hall Connaway’s (1893–1970) unique style of masculine impressionism. Featuring 39 paintings, this is the first major museum exhibition of Connaway’s work since his death. Born in Indiana, Connaway studied in New York under William Merritt Chase and in Paris at the Académie Julian before returning to native soil and landing in New England. A student of the sky, waves, and snow-covered hills of Maine and Vermont, Connaway belonged to the generation that presented the region as timeless and quiet in the face of modernity and ensured that the image of New England maintained a prominent role in the American imagination. 

In the News:

Maine Sunday Telegram story by Bob Keyes 9/27/09