Brooke O'Connell showcased on the cover of both the HITS Chicago and HITS Saugerties Official Show Programs

Brooke O'Connell was Chosen as the Feature Artist for the Covers of the 2018 HITS Chicago and HITS Saugerties Official Show Programs

HITS is pleased to announce the cover artist chosen for its HITS Chicago and HITS Saugerties Official Show Programs. The programs are available online now at HITSShows.com.

Brooke O’Connell, of Burlington, Ontario has been passionate about art since her early childhood years and has lived in both Canada and the United States. Although she has lived in many places, O’Connell says that she will always consider a small town called St-Sauveur home. Here, she grew up painting the surrounding Laurentian Mountains alongside her artist grandmother.

O’Connell earned her Honors Degree in Visual Arts from McMaster University in 2001. In the years that she spent studying at the University, O’Connell spent her summers travelling throughout Arizona and British Columbia searching for inspiration among the stunning landscapes. The light and color are often reflected in her paintings.

Today, O’Connell shares her passion and experience to students as a teacher in the public school system as a visual arts teacher. Being a teacher allows O’Connell to travel the world, and create extraordinary paintings inspired by her travels, horses, relationships, and personal experiences, which have been featured in private collections.
 
 
 
O’Connell says her medium of choice when traveling is typically watercolor as it is “…lightweight, quick-drying, and immediate.” Oftentimes, a piece of art that starts as a small watercolor painting, serves as a preliminary study and becomes a much larger oil painting.

O’Connell shared her gratitude with the world when we chose to feature her artwork on the cover of the HITS Chicago Official Show Program, saying, “I’m super happy to share that my painting of my horse Bailey has been chosen to be the cover of the HITS Chicago summer horse show series program! It’s extra special because that’s where Bailey and I met, and began our journey together.”


When we chose another one of her magnificent pieces for the HITS Saugerties Official Show Program, O’Connell beamed, saying, “I couldn’t be happier to share that in addition to having my painting chosen for the Chicago shows that my “Jumper” painting has also been chosen to be the cover art for the HITS Saugerties New York summer horse show series.”

HITS Saugerties Official Show Program

HITS Chicago Official Show Program

You can view some of O’Connell’s other work on her website, brookeoconnell.com or visit her in HITS Saugerties this summer where she will have some of her feature artwork displayed at the show grounds.