The Society of Creative Arts of Newtown (SCAN) will host Doreen O’Connor demonstrating Landscape Painting in Acrylics (and discussing Plein Air painting) on Wednesday, February 12, at 1:30 pm, in the lower level of Newtown Meeting House, 31 Main Street (at The Flagpole).

The demonstration is open to the public and admission is free. It will return to the group's regular meeting location, after having moved to Newtown Municipal Center last month when Vincent Giarrano offered a demonstration there prior to the opening of SCAN's Annual Color in Winter Show & Sale.

Having lived in the Hudson Valley region for nearly her whole life, O’Connor feels deeply connected to and inspired by the history and natural beauty of the area. Though her early years were in suburbia, her family purchased a farm in Dutchess County when she was nine years old. That farm and the surrounds became her muse.

Following the conventional wisdom of the 60s, Doreen pursued degrees in art education in order to be able to make a living from her art. After two years of teaching junior high art, she went back to get a graduate degree only to find she had priced herself out of the market for art teachers.

She worked as a substitute and continued to work in the historic house museum she had been working in while in graduate school. She stayed in the local history field for 20 years.

In 1990 Doreen started a decorative painting business doing faux finishes, murals, trompe l’oeil, etc, and never looked back. She found she was finally making a living from her art. “If it doesn’t move, I have probably painted on it” became her slogan.

O’Connor moved back to the family farm after her father died in 2001 and lived there and cared for the place as she continued to do the decorative painting. As faux finishes were losing popularity and age was advancing, O’Connor has been more involved in “fine art” work — painting beloved old buildings, equipment and landscapes en plein air.

O’Connor is a member of ArtEast Open Studio Tour, Lower Hudson Valley Plein Air Painters, and FrOGS, where she participates with other artists in paint-outs and exhibits.

Reservations are not required for SCAN programs. Additional information may be available at SCANart.org.