Creative Arts Workshop (CAW) is honored to announce the opening of Constance LaPalombara: A Sense of Place at the Hilles Gallery on December 5, 2024. This evocative exhibition, showcasing thirty-five oil paintings, pays tribute to the artistic legacy of Constance LaPalombara (1935–2023), a celebrated New Haven painter whose work masterfully captured the essence of the environments she cherished. The exhibition will run through January 12, 2025.
LaPalombara’s work is a celebration of light, color, and the emotional connection to place. Drawing inspiration from Edward Hopper, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, and Giorgio Morandi, her paintings evoke a sense of time and space, from New Haven to the serene landscapes of Maine and Italy’s timeless countryside. Through her painterly touch and devotion to capturing the interplay of light and color, LaPalombara’s work invites viewers to experience the spirit of the landscapes she loved. Her scenes, often painted of views from her studio windows, transform everyday structures into compositions of quiet grandeur, inviting viewers to see familiar landscapes through her discerning lens.
“The intimate size of Constance’s canvases belies the expansiveness of the places she portrays. Her work is simultaneously comforting and compelling, and consistently beautiful,” notes Trina Learned, Executive Director of CAW. “During her many years studying at Creative Arts Workshop, she influenced the work of many peers.”
LaPalombara’s artistic journey was one of reinvention. After early careers in intelligence and academia, she pursued her passion for painting, earning her MFA and dedicating herself to her craft. Over five decades, she left an indelible mark on the art world, from co-founding Kehler Liddell Gallery in New Haven’s Westville neighborhood to exhibiting work now held in private and public collections worldwide. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to reflect on her enduring vision and celebrate her artistic legacy.
The exhibition’s opening reception on Friday, December 13, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, will include remarks from several local artists – her contemporaries and friends – reflecting on LaPalombara’s profound impact on the New Haven arts scene.
Press:
Artist Captures The Air, New Haven Independent, 12/18/24