Connor McLennan

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Connor McLennan has been an art student at Lewis University for 4 years, Majoring in Painting and Studio Art. McLennan combines elements of color, gestural line, representation and expression. Initially attracted to the represented form of the human figure, McLennan then adds an emotionally driven abstract element to the piece. Being a musician of multiple instruments, McLennan uses the fluidity and energy of sound to create a gestural and expressive quality of line and color. When first starting this combination of elements, McLennan was trying to “vandalize” a canvas (as a street artist would a building) and then paint a more traditional portrait over the top, giving the pieces an urban, weathered and atmospheric setting. As work progressed and experimentation took place, mindless vandalism turned into the portrayal of the figures inner emotions. While contrasting organic shapes with geometric shapes, McLennan also depicts what is seen and what is felt within the subject. McLennan has been awarded for his work in shows such as The Presidents Art Show (4 years in a row), Windows Magazine (4 years in a row) and the Celebration of Scholarship (2 years).