By Stacy Bronec
Todd Connor grew up drawing at a young age in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He began oil painting around age eleven. After high school, he joined the Navy and served four years as a Navy Seal, ending active duty in 1991. He then traveled the country, living out of his pickup. He spent his time hiking, backpacking, and visiting different National Parks. “It was a way to decompress after my years in the service,” Connor says. It also fulfilled his love of history, visiting various historical sites across the country.
But it was a stop at the Cowboy Artists of America Museum in Kerrville, Texas that changed the trajectory of his life. “I knew that’s how I wanted to paint. That’s how I wanted to tell the story of the West,” Connor says. He signed up for a workshop hosted by the Cowboy Artists of America. “I was like a kid in the candy store, seeing all the art and artists there.”
In 1997, he graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California with a degree in illustration. He worked for a year at Universal Studios, then moved to Livingston.
Eventually he moved to Ennis for almost twenty years. During that time, he visited Fort Benton, floating the White Cliffs, and loved it. He now lives and has a studio in Fort Benton.
This past November, Connor was inducted into the Cowboy Artists of America as one of twenty members. He is also a member of the Russell Skull Society of Artists.
Charlie Russell was known to frequent the Mint Bar, a watering hole in Great Falls that closed in 1967. The Mint’s bar eventually made its way to the C.M. Russell Museum. Connor had the idea for his painting, “Hey Charlie, Last Call” and he posed a few friends for photos in front of the historic bar. Charlie’s wife, Nancy, is featured in the doorway.
“It was a lot of fun,” says Connor. “I had the composition in my mind of what I wanted to paint. But it helped to see everyone’s gestures and actions. You can’t skimp on the heads or hands, or it looks unfinished.”
Stop by room 246 at The Russell to visit Connor and see his painting.