“Although born in Liberty, Indiana, Jay Hall Connaway was fascinated by coastal life and marine scenery, an attraction that had profound effects on his life and artwork” (1).
“After periodically studying at the Art Institute of Indianapolis and at the Art Students League with William Merritt Chase, Connaway traveled throughout the United States, taking labor-intensive jobs as a railroad worker, a doryman in a fishing fleet, and a cook at a remote lumber camp. He volunteered for active duty in World War I and, after sustaining an injury, continued to help with the war effort as a cartographer and medical draughtsman” (2).
“Returning to the US and encouraged by the artists Paul Dougherty, Emil Carlsen, and Frederick Waugh, Jay Hall Connaway spent 1922-1925 painting at Head Harbor Island, ME focusing his artwork on depicting the various moods and subtleties of the sea. After many successful one-man shows in New York City, Connaway was sponsored by the Macbeth Gallery, NYC to once again return to France to paint scenes of Brittany and Paris from 1929-1931” (3).
“A prolific, well educated and much exhibited landscape painter, Jay Connaway lived at Monhegan Island, Maine from 1931 to 1947, and he ran a summer school there and then at Dorset, Vermont until 1966. He died at his winter home in Arizona” (2).
Reference:
1.
Jay Hall Connaway [internet]. Wiscasset, ME: Wiscasset Bay Gallery. [cited 2016 Jan 11]. Available from: http://www.wiscassetbaygallery.com/index.php?page=connaway
2.
Askart staff. Jay Connaway [internet]. [cited 2016 Jan 11]. Available from: http://www.askart.com/artist_bio/Jay_Hall_Connaway/25003/Jay_Hall_Connaway.aspx
3.
Jay Hall Connaway [internet]. Cohasset, MA: Blue Heron Fine Art. [cited 2016 Jan 11]. Available from: http://www.blueheronfa.com/connawaymonhegandock.htm