Thomas Hudson Connell
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hudson Connell is a retired attorney and a Cape Cod based artist whose works span more than four decades. His work is primarily large abstract and semi-abstract acrylic and oil paintings based on natural elements. He also paints landscapes both En Plein Aire as well as in his studio.
in English from Wesleyan University
, Middletown, CT in 1956. He graduated from the United States Navy
OCS Class 28 and was trained as a diver, underwater swimmer and in ordnance disposal (U.S. Navy EOD). He served as a Lieutenant (senior grade) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CV-15)
where he was an Office of the Deck Underway.
. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1966.
Mr. Connell was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1966 and to the United States District Court in 1967. He was subsequently admitted to the United States District Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of the United States
. He specialized in Heavy Construction law and, prior to his retirement as President of a Hartford Connecticut “boutique” law firm, he was an Arbitrator on the Construction Panel of the American Bar Association
, a frequent speaker at programs on Construction Law presented by Lorman Educational Services, taught law to paralegals at Manchester Community College
and served as Contributing Legal Editor of the Plastic’s Engineering Magazine of the Society of Plastics Engineers
.
Mr. Connell was the 1978 Republican Candidate for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
, losing the election to Christopher Dodd
who went on to become a United States Senator and Presidential Contender.
in Danielson, Ct. He also exhibited in a student group show at the Athenaeum and was in a number of Connecticut area group shows.
After retirement Mr. Connell “re-invented himself” and devoted more time to his artwork. He has had four one-person shows on Cape Cod He was interviewed and his work featured on a local television station serving Cape Cod. Several Cape Cod newspapers have reviewed his artwork and, in June 2009 one of his paintings was used as the cover illustration for the Hartford Courant newspaper’s Sunday magazine.
In addition to painting. Mr. Connell is a volunteer naturalist at the Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society
and is the leader of a group of outer Cape Cod En Plein Aire painters.
His artistic inspiration and influences include his observations of nature and the sea, the poetry of William Wordsworth
and the color field painting of Mark Rothko
. His oils and acrylics are done on gesso primed Masonite in larger sizes (24 x 36, 30 x40, 40 x 80). His En Plein Aire landscapes and traditional landscape works are painted on canvas in sizes ranging up to 15 x 30).
Education
Mr. Connell received his bachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in English from Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, Middletown, CT in 1956. He graduated from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
OCS Class 28 and was trained as a diver, underwater swimmer and in ordnance disposal (U.S. Navy EOD). He served as a Lieutenant (senior grade) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Randolph (CV-15)
USS Randolph (CV-15)
USS Randolph was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. The second US Navy ship to bear the name, she was named for Peyton Randolph, president of the First Continental Congress. Randolph was commissioned in October 1944, and served in several campaigns in the Pacific...
where he was an Office of the Deck Underway.
Career
After completing his military service,he worked full time as a commercial artist and copy writer in the Sales and Promotion and Advertising Department of Connecticut Mutual Life. At night, he attended the University of Connecticut School of LawUniversity of Connecticut School of Law
The University of Connecticut School of Law is the only public law school in Connecticut and one of only four in New England. The school was recently ranked forty-sixth out of the 190 American Bar Association-accredited law schools in the United States and is considered a Tier 1 school by U.S...
. He received his Juris Doctorate in 1966.
Mr. Connell was admitted to the Connecticut Bar in 1966 and to the United States District Court in 1967. He was subsequently admitted to the United States District Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. He specialized in Heavy Construction law and, prior to his retirement as President of a Hartford Connecticut “boutique” law firm, he was an Arbitrator on the Construction Panel of the American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
, a frequent speaker at programs on Construction Law presented by Lorman Educational Services, taught law to paralegals at Manchester Community College
Manchester Community College
Manchester Community College is a community college in Manchester, Hartford County, Connecticut, USA. Founded in 1963, it is the third-oldest of the twelve community colleges governed by the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Community-Technical Colleges and has graduated more than 23,000...
and served as Contributing Legal Editor of the Plastic’s Engineering Magazine of the Society of Plastics Engineers
Society of Plastics Engineers
The Society of Plastics Engineers is an international organization dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and education for all plastics professionals.The SPE was founded in 1942...
.
Mr. Connell was the 1978 Republican Candidate for Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district includes the towns of New London, Norwich, Storrs, Groton, and Southwood Acres....
, losing the election to Christopher Dodd
Christopher Dodd
Christopher John "Chris" Dodd is an American lawyer, lobbyist, and Democratic Party politician who served as a United States Senator from Connecticut for a thirty-year period ending with the 111th United States Congress....
who went on to become a United States Senator and Presidential Contender.
Artistic career
During the years of his legal practice, Mr. Connell continued his art studies at the Wadsworth Athenaeum in Connecticut. He had a one-person show at Quinebaug Valley Community CollegeQuinebaug Valley Community College
Quinebaug Valley Community College is a community college in northeastern Connecticut. Recipient of numerous state and national awards, the college is located in the town of Danielson, Connecticut.- History :...
in Danielson, Ct. He also exhibited in a student group show at the Athenaeum and was in a number of Connecticut area group shows.
After retirement Mr. Connell “re-invented himself” and devoted more time to his artwork. He has had four one-person shows on Cape Cod He was interviewed and his work featured on a local television station serving Cape Cod. Several Cape Cod newspapers have reviewed his artwork and, in June 2009 one of his paintings was used as the cover illustration for the Hartford Courant newspaper’s Sunday magazine.
In addition to painting. Mr. Connell is a volunteer naturalist at the Wellfleet Bay Sanctuary of the Massachusetts Audubon Society
Massachusetts Audubon Society
The Massachusetts Audubon Society, founded in 1896 by Harriet Hemenway and headquartered in Lincoln, Massachusetts, is a nonprofit organization dedicated to "Protecting the nature of Massachusetts." Mass Audubon is independent of the National Audubon Society, and in fact was founded...
and is the leader of a group of outer Cape Cod En Plein Aire painters.
His artistic inspiration and influences include his observations of nature and the sea, the poetry of William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth
William Wordsworth was a major English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with the 1798 joint publication Lyrical Ballads....
and the color field painting of Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko
Mark Rothko, born Marcus Rothkowitz , was a Russian-born American painter. He is classified as an abstract expressionist, although he himself rejected this label, and even resisted classification as an "abstract painter".- Childhood :Mark Rothko was born in Dvinsk, Vitebsk Province, Russian...
. His oils and acrylics are done on gesso primed Masonite in larger sizes (24 x 36, 30 x40, 40 x 80). His En Plein Aire landscapes and traditional landscape works are painted on canvas in sizes ranging up to 15 x 30).