EASTHAMPTON, MA., July 3 –  Artists Kat O’Connor exhibits “Ripple in the Blue,” a series of paintings, at the ECA+ Gallery from August 10 to August 28. An opening reception will be held on Saturday, August 10 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. as part of Art Walk Easthampton. The exhibition is free and open to the public.

In her paintings, O’Connor explores a theme of “solitude as solace,” through images of pools. She describes a trip to Marfa, Texas that she took in 1995 during which she often swam alone in the pool at night as a large influence on her future work. “Water and light become buffers,” O’Connor explains, “allowing the viewer to stand outside the subject, to watch from the protected darkness, the way we view film.”

Kat O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Arts in drawing with highest honors from Montana State University in 1990 and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 1995. She has exhibited her work nationwide, including three solo shows at regional museums, and won numerous awards. She is an Artist Member of the Copley Society of Art in Boston, Massachusetts. O’Connor has shared her love of art with students at numerous locations and has lead landscape painting workshops in Maine, New Hampshire, Cape Cod, New Mexico, Italy, and Greece. Her work can be viewed online at www.katopaints.com.

The exhibit is free and open to the public. The ECA+ gallery is located at 43 Main Street, Easthampton, MA. Gallery Hours are Monday – Thursday and Saturday, 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. For more information, please see www.EasthamptonCityArts.com.

Easthampton City Arts, formed in 2005, is working to enhance the collaborative efforts of the artist and business communities to increase economic opportunities for artists. All of our efforts are geared toward enhancing the opportunities of local artists to showcase and market their work and to provide the public the opportunity to discover emerging and established artists. ECA has merged with the Easthampton Cultural Council & Art Walk Easthampton to form ECA+ in 2011. Easthampton City Arts+ is funded in-part by the Massachusetts Cultural Council.