Elizabeth Sennett

I have won numerous awards over the past 40 years but one of the most special times was winning two First Place awards in one weekend. I won first place in the East Hampton Art Show on Saturday and then won first place in the Manchester Show on the very next day. Another special happening was winning the Esther Fay Award in the Connecticut Watercolor Show at the New Britain Museum of American Art. Shown at the left of this article was the winning painting "A Time For Reflection".

I am a real believer in the fact that your paintings are a reflection of you; who you are, your life experiences, and your knowledge of your subject and your medium. Being a realist I am more concerned with the quality and not the quantity of my paintings. I paint the places I've been and the things I know. The painting at the left of this article is a place that I pass every time I go to town. Since we spend a lot of time in Maine, I paint nearly as many Maine landscapes as there are Connecticut landscapes. I am an avid gardener. I do not believe you can paint a flower very convincingly if you do not know the structure of the flower you are painting. Painting many of my paintings "plein air"gives you a real feel for the place. Nearly all of my paintings have a story behind them. My still life paintings are all painted from arrangements I have set up. I have lived in the "country" my whole life and that is reflected in my paintings. I don't paint anything unless I am excited about capturing my subject for others to enjoy.

Art Workshop day classes and night classes will be starting soon. The evening class starts in January and meets from 6:30 P.M. to 9 P.M. for eight weeks. Contact East Hampton Parks and Recreation to register. My daytime classes will start in January and meet for 10 weeks from 9:30 A.M. to 11:30 A.M. Contact me at 860 267 9061 for further information.

I took a workshop with Carol Reeves a few years ago using a technique where you do a red and orange underpainting and then wipe out the flowers. This piece I designed using that technique and my garden photos. You actually leave a great deal of the underpainting showing through the finished piece. This is the most recent piece I have painted using that technique.

I will present a painting demonstration of a floral landscape for the Middletown Art Guild on Thursday, April 11 at 7:00 P.M. at the Middlefield Federated Church at 402 Main Street in Middlefield. On May 4th I will be teaching an all day painting workshop. You may call Eva Dykas at 860 345 8260 for further information.

Elizabeth Sennett of East Hampton, CT is equally adept in executing an oil painting or a watercolor. For forty years she has been painting her world; her flower gardens, the New England landscape, still lifes, and the people she knows.
Elizabeth was one of the founders of the East Hampton Art Association and continues to be very active in it. She has been program chairperson for the association for most of the 30 years it has been in existence. She has been teaching painting for over 30 years in East Hampton and Middletown. She currently teaches approximately 25 students per week for a fall and spring semester. Elizabeth attended the Lyme Academy of Fine Arts and the Connecticut School of Fine Art. She has also taken painting workshops with Betty Lou Schlemm, Michael Stoffa, Ferdinand Petrie, T.M. Nicholas, Mike Graves, T.A. Charron, Carleton Plummer, Carol Reeves, Tom Nicholas, Foster Caddell etc.
Elizabeth Sennett has displayed her paintings in many one woman shows. The past few years Elizabeth has had a two day one woman show of 50 paintings at the Lake House Restaurant. Her paintings are in many public and private collections. They have been purchased by Connecticut Bank & Trust, Jefferson Federal Savings, City Savings, Manchester Savings Bank, Manchester Community College and Northeast Utilities.