They now represent 42% of all immigrants in the country, and most of them live in Ile de France.īut despite these numbers, only a handful of the African immigrants come from protestant Christian backgrounds in their home countries. Since World War II Africans have been immigrating by the millions into France. His artwork has made him an unofficial ambassador of Newfoundland.The African Fellowship: Ten Years of Celebrating Family and God's Grace By Christina Leste-Lasserre Not just Brigus but Newfoundland, I suppose, because I'm always looking for old houses at risk of disappearing."Īlthough David now shuttles between residing in Arizona and Toronto, he visits Brigus every summer and immerses himself in his craft that captures the local landscapes and traditional architecture. I will have to make up some of those colours because they're all black and white - that's something I have up my sleeve. "I have a lot of old photos of Brigus from when I was a kid, and I am planning on doing paintings of those. It gives it character as well."ĭavid's next plan involves infusing colour to his childhood memories of Brigus. Most people are happy with his work and it does add a lot to the café. "People can't believe the reality of his work," she said. "They ask, 'are they photographs?' There's so much detail in his work. Her customers are astounded by their quality, she said. "He has history in his paintings," she said. In carrying some of his artwork at the local North Street Café that she operates, about 100 of his postcards and a handful of his originals are sold each year. To Debbie O'Flaherty, David plays a key role in advertising the town to visitors. We always thought it was the best place around, you know?"ĭavid Connolly stands in front of his restored house, which was built in 1860 in Brigus. "I always loved, even when I was a kid, walking around the place and saying how much we love it. Within a week of his retirement, he found himself redeeming his farewell present - a course at the Toronto School of Art.ĭavid's feelings for his hometown came from a special place in his heart. It was time for him to pursue his dream profession. He worked as a social worker for years before retiring early at the age of 50. So I took my paints and kept my burned foot in the river all afternoon and I painted just a natural landscape with the water and everything."ĭavid was not always a professional artist. "It was in the summertime and the only relief I could get was to go over to a big stream in town and put my foot in there. Recalling a time he'd burned his foot, he recounted how he reached for his paintbrushes instead of medicine. Even in moments of pain, he used to take refuge in art. Rain or shine, every waking moment for an adolescent David was a scene waiting to be painted. Summers were especially alluring as they brought the beauty of Brigus's scenic surroundings to life. Growing up in Brigus, art was always a part of his life. "I guess it was my mom, because Santa Claus always brought me paints at Christmas time." "What even got me started?" said David, with mischief in his voice. (Submitted by David Connolly)ĭavid's journey to becoming a painter par excellence began with a visit from St. So I will often restore the house to its original kind of look in my painting."Ĭonnolly's paintings capture the essence of Brigus on canvas. "It's a beautiful old house, but it's been wrecked by the windows. He said he tries to transform a somewhat shabby house to its former glory. One glance at his paintings was enough to see that he liked to capture rustic and antiquated subjects like houses. "It was always the same kind of thing - the Brigus houses, the street scenes." Restoring glory In addition to sheds, barns, and fishing stages, I asked what else he liked to paint. His solution to the illusion? "I ended up getting a sign made when I'm in the show now: 'David Connolly Paintings.'" "Why would somebody be selling photos of houses?" said a passerby. He beamed as he began narrating an incident that took place at the Toronto Outdoor Art Fair - not long after he began pursuing painting professionally. I introduced myself and struck up a conversation.ĭavid said, "I always wanted to make look like a photograph." Upon closer inspection, the half-finished painting looked no different from a high-resolution photograph. where the artist was dreamily working on a canvas. The invitation to step into the painter's world was tempting - a Welcome sign, propped up on the side of the historic town's main street, led me into his studio. It was a lazy summer afternoon when I unexpectedly stumbled upon David Connolly and his breathtaking artwork. I found myself pondering this question on a leisurely trip to Brigus, on the western side of Conception Bay, on Newfoundland's Avalon Peninsula. If art can take us back in time, then what colour is your memory?
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