In 1995, John O'Connell received a Bachelor of Fine Art and a Bachelor of Science in Art Education from The Massachusetts College of Art. He later earned a Masters of Fine Art from the University of Connecticut in 1999 and is now an Associate Professor of painting at the University of Utah. O'Connell's paintings have been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums throughout the United States for more than two decades.

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John O'Connell's abstract work is built layer upon layer using gestures of paint. The strong expressionistic brushstroke is complemented by his refined color palette. Through a process of applying and removing, O'Connell creates organic forms and structures that seem to be in states of transformation and tension, evoking the artist's own interest in the realities of physiology and biology.

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O'Connell's work is in various private, public, museum, and corporate collections, including those of the Marcia & John Price Collection, the Vanguard Media Group, William Benton Museum of Art, Woodbury Art Museum and Utah Museum of Fine Art.