Connie Falk enjoys painting in oils and focuses most of her efforts on the local landscape. Painting in plein air is a particular passion, as it combines sharing adventures with good friends and carefully observing the effects of changing seasons on light, color and form.
Connie has called New Mexico home since 1988 when she began her academic career in agricultural economics at New Mexico State University. While on the faculty, she began taking art classes at NMSU in 2004, and continued taking classes until 2013 when she retired. She is a regular participant in the Placitas Studio Tour on Mother’s Day weekend, and in 2024 she was a juried participant in the Corrales Studio Tour held the weekend before the Placitas Studio Tour .
"I paint the beauty of the people I have met and places I have seen and felt. Oil painting is an exploration of interior and physical landscapes. When I paint, I am meditating on values, both values in pigment and what I cherish and mourn. Painting helps me process the world, comment on it, share with others my story, and interpret the beauty and anguish in a world hurtling towards disaster. Painting is both an escape from the world and a dive into its core truths. I hope that my paintings convey something about where I am geographically, emotionally, and philosophically.
In my landscape paintings, I strive to simplify the scene while also conveying what I see, which is one of the big challenges, particularly in plein air. How much to stylize the composition and shapes and how much the colors should depart from local colors in front of me are some of my top concerns. I try to find the right balance in these decisions, while also conveying the emotional impact of the amazing local landscapes."
In 2022, Connie was included in Southwest Art Magazine’s, “10 NM Painters to Watch.” In 2024, 18 of Connie’s paintings were rented by the movie “Miss You, Love You” and she was commissioned to paint an additional 3 paintings, including one partially finished that the star Allison Janney “finished” in the movie. After the movie wrapped, the art director rented four of her paintings for use in an upcoming limited Prime series, "The Better Sister."