MY ARTIST STATEMENT ABOUT PORTRAITURE:
The tree of our existence is our Tree of Life. It is our set of life experiences which we
bring in for others and for ourselves as members of the Tree. The Tree contains it all --
all of our life we accumulate who we are and who we can become, so that any given portrayal of us at one point in our assimilated life experience is only a glimpse of who we are, and yet we hope
for it to represent so much more.
This is the challenge that any portrait painter must rise up within themselves to encompass when
portraying each person. To show what is, but also what lies beyond, and what has been for each one of us is something that we all want to anticipate when commissioning a portrait.
I strive to do my best work, not only on each portrait, but to personally connect with you
in my work as a portrait painter.
As an award-winning fine artist I care deeply about whether people perceive what I am communicating about with my art. With a BA in fine art from Allegheny College, and a BFA in illustration from the School of Visual Arts, I bring a dimensional background to my portraiture. When the situation permits, and only with the permission of those who would commission me, I like to try bringing in the spiritual associations that each person has to my work on their portrait, be it either indirectly or openly.
As a member of the Portrait Society of America, I bring to portraiture a variety of painting and drawing mediums. Among these are my specialty mediums of egg tempera, pastel, egg tempera and oil combinations, silverpoint, and gilding on a variety of surfaces. Several of my portraits have been included in the World Federation of Miniaturists exhibitions: at the Smithsonian in 2004, at Bernie Regional Art Gallery in Tasmania in 2008, and at the Russian Academy of Art in Moscow in 2012.
I welcome your commissions, and try to honor your special requests to the best of my natural abilities. I wish to thank all those who have already supported my work as a portrait artist.
One thing unique about a Mona Conner portrait is the additional size option of a genuine miniature portrait in addition to larger, more elaborate works of art.