Caitlin Connolly
CAITLIN CONNOLLY
mother painting 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
What have you created and cared for that wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t cared for it? Pondering this question can be difficult, but satisfying when the answer is finally found. Passing on your passions helps to build a long-lasting identity. Sharing things we love with the people that we love, build us and make us.
What part of you do you hope to pass on?
mother painting 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
What have you created and cared for that wouldn’t exist if you hadn’t cared for it? Pondering this question can be difficult, but satisfying when the answer is finally found. Passing on your passions helps to build a long-lasting identity. Sharing things we love with the people that we love, build us and make us.
What part of you do you hope to pass on?
CAITLIN CONNOLLY
Women With and Without Children 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of David and Stephani Hall
“One thing I have learned through exploring themes of womanhood and motherhood is that having children or not having children is such a central and emotional journey for women. Some women have children when they don’t want to, some women want to have children and they can’t, some women lose their children, some women have children and don’t like being mothers, some women love being mothers—it is such a personal and unique experience.” –Caitlin Connolly, Deseret News, 2018
Emotions are powerful and driving forces in defining who we are. Love, fear, envy, sadness, kindness, and joy impact who we will become. How are these emotions depicted in this painting?
Women With and Without Children 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of David and Stephani Hall
“One thing I have learned through exploring themes of womanhood and motherhood is that having children or not having children is such a central and emotional journey for women. Some women have children when they don’t want to, some women want to have children and they can’t, some women lose their children, some women have children and don’t like being mothers, some women love being mothers—it is such a personal and unique experience.” –Caitlin Connolly, Deseret News, 2018
Emotions are powerful and driving forces in defining who we are. Love, fear, envy, sadness, kindness, and joy impact who we will become. How are these emotions depicted in this painting?
CAITLIN CONNOLLY
be still my soul 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
How do you think this woman is feeling? Is she longing for something? Is she mourning a loss? Have you ever felt like her? Sometimes our self-worth is determined by the roles that are expected of us. Achieving peace is a constant struggle, and often a long journey. Connolly shares her experience dealing with infertility and a time when she worried that she was not enough as a woman.
“My worth is concrete and independent of trials and hardships and also independent of achievements, even achievements like having children or being successful. My worth is just because it is.” –Caitlin Connolly, Deseret News, 2018
be still my soul 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
How do you think this woman is feeling? Is she longing for something? Is she mourning a loss? Have you ever felt like her? Sometimes our self-worth is determined by the roles that are expected of us. Achieving peace is a constant struggle, and often a long journey. Connolly shares her experience dealing with infertility and a time when she worried that she was not enough as a woman.
“My worth is concrete and independent of trials and hardships and also independent of achievements, even achievements like having children or being successful. My worth is just because it is.” –Caitlin Connolly, Deseret News, 2018
CAITLIN CONNOLLY
Holding Holy Things (Sister of Jared) 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of BYU Maxwell Institute
How do you think this woman is feeling? Do the stones feel like a blessing? Do they feel like a burden? Have you ever felt like her?
Connolly likes to explore themes of “self” in relation to herself, others, and a higher power. As a teenager she remembers hearing the scripture about being “an instrument in the hands of God.” (Alma 26:3) She shares, “I loved that call to action and it felt tangible and empowering to me. I prayed for years fairly consistently that I could do that, whatever it would be.”—Caitlin Connolly, Aspiring Mormon Women, 2016
How can we be instruments for a higher power? What opportunities have you had to help others?
Holding Holy Things (Sister of Jared) 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of BYU Maxwell Institute
How do you think this woman is feeling? Do the stones feel like a blessing? Do they feel like a burden? Have you ever felt like her?
Connolly likes to explore themes of “self” in relation to herself, others, and a higher power. As a teenager she remembers hearing the scripture about being “an instrument in the hands of God.” (Alma 26:3) She shares, “I loved that call to action and it felt tangible and empowering to me. I prayed for years fairly consistently that I could do that, whatever it would be.”—Caitlin Connolly, Aspiring Mormon Women, 2016
How can we be instruments for a higher power? What opportunities have you had to help others?
CAITLIN CONNOLLY
a mother's blessing 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
There are specific moments in life that define who we are. At times they can be hard to recognize or are sometimes even missed. Connolly describes being a mother as emotionally and physically exhausting, but she is also happier than she has been in the past. Through her art, she tells the story of her life.
How do you recognize the blessings in your life?
a mother's blessing 2019
oil on panel
Courtesy of the Artist
There are specific moments in life that define who we are. At times they can be hard to recognize or are sometimes even missed. Connolly describes being a mother as emotionally and physically exhausting, but she is also happier than she has been in the past. Through her art, she tells the story of her life.
How do you recognize the blessings in your life?
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