McConnell, Leila (b. 1927)

Found 2 Works by this Artist

(b. 1927)

Houston, TX

Leila McConnell (American, b. 1927) Leila McConnell was born in Los Angeles, California. Her family moved to Houston when she was six and, after graduating from high school, she enrolled at Rice Institute (now Rice University). At the time, Rice had no department of architecture but McConnell sought inspiration from iconic professor, James Chillman. According to McConnell, Chillman had the greatest influence on her sense of design, proportion, and the ability to actually see her art. Studying freehand drawing, design, watercolor, art, and architectural history under Chillman, McConnell excelled. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree from Rice, she continued her art studies at the Museum School (now Glassell School) at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

McConnell had impeccable academic training and her early paintings, both oil and pastel, were very realistic. The majority of her subject matter was either still life, figure studies, or portraits. In the summer of 1949, she attended the San Francisco School of Fine Arts and was fortunate to study under Mark Rothko. His vision and innovative instruction marked McConnell’s shift away from the realism that had previously dominated her works. After her classes with Rothko, she began to paint more abstract pieces, creating an imaginary girl in watercolor.

Realizing that she had a vivid imagination, McConnell embarked on a trip to Europe in 1960. The stucco buildings of Italy greatly impacted her vision and caused a change in her paintings. Her colors became soft and blended, often misty and portraying a sun or moon, causing the artist to deem many of her works “sky paintings.”

In 1976, McConnell began creating paper collages, a diversion from her painted works. Though small, her collages impacted the way McConnell created her paintings—her edges became harder, mixed with the mistiness of her skies and her compositions became more symmetrical. McConnell continues to paint in her unique style and develop her oeuvre of “sky” pieces.

Considered to be two of Houston’s Founding Artists, McConnell was married to fellow Houston artist Henri Gadbois for over 60 years, starting in 1956 until Gadbois passing in 2018. They have two children and three grandchildren, one of which seems to be continuing the family’s artistic legacy.
McConnell’s work has been exhibited in galleries and museums nationally, including the Museum of Fine
Art, Houston; the Dallas Museum of Art; the Witte Museum, San Antonio; Art Museum of South East Texas, Beaumont; Art Museum of South Texas, Corpus Christi; Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK; among others. McConnell’s work has been covered in prominent publications such as Art in America, Houston Chronicle and Houston Press and is featured in several recent books on Texas Modern Art, mid-century Houston art scene and Abstract Expressionism in the Southwest.
Her work is in collections of Civic Art Program, City of Houston; the Menil Collection, Houston; the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth; the Old Jail Art Center, Albany; Public Art, University of Houston Systems, Victoria; and Texas A&M University Museum, College Station; The John Nau Collection of Texas Art, Houston; as well as numerous other public and private collections.

https://foltzgallery.com/artist/leila-mcconnell#biography