Faces in the Flowers – Brian Connolly

As time rolls onward and upward, and skyscrapers replace the white picket fence – leaving the stone castles and mud huts a distant ancestor’s memory, many argue that we as a society are losing our touch with Mother Nature. But as we move further and further into the future, there are individuals who stand grounded in their belief of organic and true self-expression through their artistic mediums.

            One such individual is Byron Bay local artist Brian Connolly (@bwconnollyart). Well-known for his expressionistic and capricious pieces; Brian has made a name for himself collaborating with the well known hair salon franchise Edwards  & Co, was featured in Harpers Bazaar, and even sold pieces to David Jones.

            Growing up in an artistic family, Brian is most content working in his quiet art studio under his house, inspired by the lush subtropical flora enveloping his backyard. His pieces, and until most recently his mural on the side of the local café Bayleaf (now painted over), brings together the balance of both human and flower, emotional and evergreen. Wide, all-seeing eyes, leaves and flowers held close – as if the visual metaphor for self-growth and personal fulfilment.

            Often asked what his work means, Brian believes that his paintings, like most art, is subjective – up to interpretation to the viewer, but grounded in the sense that each individual work holds a natural and animate energy.

            If art can have connection to a place, much like the Mona Lisa to the Louvre, or Starry Night Sky in the Museum of Modern Art, Brian’s work is right at home in the alternative beachside community, where you can see it hanging in local art gallery Thomgallery, owned by art collector Alex Thom.

            With demand for Brian growing in Australia, the local artist is casting his gaze overseas, where he is sure to find only more success and bigger canvases to fill with his unconventional flow and botanical touch. Keep your eye out for Brian Connolly, and your heart open to what his work wakes up within.

“Allowing oneself to be enveloped by the unrelenting waves of emotion is pinnacle in self-development. This feeling has been poured into every fluid drip of colour in my paintings. They have come to be the nourishment of the flowers.” – Brian Connolly.