Connors was born in Minneapolis and came to California in 1980, working as a graphic designer in advertising. In May 2016, he had a life-altering experience when he had a major heart attack. The road to recovery included meditation stress therapy, where he relived his heart attack. Connor had always enjoyed painting as a hobby, but after this experience, he found “profound inspiration” and began painting at a frantic pace – over 300 paintings in the first year after the attack.

His cardiologist suggested he get some mindfulness recovery; which Connor had been exploring as part of his meditation practice. Out of this work came his “Water Series,” Connor explains “Being underwater became a metaphor for the afterlife. That was the heart attack experience. And then I just kept going. The water became such a muse for me in so many ways. We’ve now moved to a place overlooking the ocean near Mendocino and it’s not just therapeutic, it’s inspirational.”

“The body of work I have and continue to evolve would never have existed were it not for my heart attack,” Connors continued. “In that way, it’s a gift that will inspire me the rest of my life. After you flat line on an operating table, and live to talk about it, you realize how precious time is. As an artist, along with being a husband and father, that motivates me to create as much as I can to follow each muse. You just don’t know what may happen at any given moment.

The Coast Highway Art Collective is located at 284 Main St., Point Arena, the little red building with the big yellow sun, next door to the Redwood Credit Union. The gallery not maintaining regular hours at this time due to current conditions, but visitors can make an individual appointment to visit the gallery. Call Ling-Yen Jones at 707-884-9153 to set up a visit.

More information is available at www.coast-highway-artists.com