"The Old Church" Jay Connaway (Maine, Arizona, Indiana, 1893 - 1970). Signed verso. Gallery label verso. Sight Size: 17.5 x 14.5 in. Overall Size: 25 x 22 in. After periodically studying at the Art Institute of Indianapolis and at the Art Students League with William Merritt Chase, Connaway traveled throughout the United States, taking labor-intensive jobs as a railroad worker, a doryman in a fishing fleet, and a cook at a remote lumber camp. He volunteered for active duty in World War I and, after sustaining an injury, continued to help with the war effort as a cartographer and medical draughtsman. The talent he displayed at these jobs led him to undertake further study in Paris at the Academie Julian and at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. Following his studies, Connaway decided to focus on painting and eventually settled on Monhegan Island, a place he and his family inhabited year-round from 1931 until 1947. His work was featured in an unprecedented 85 one-man shows, evidence of his successful and widely renowned career as a skilled sea painter. Source: Wiscasset Bay Gallery.