Connell P. Byrne
Self-taught artist who exhibited at ArtScape and Towson festival was active in religious programs for students
Connell P. Byrne, a self-taught artist whose work can be found in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and in books, record albums and the murals he created for Cal Ripken Jr. and Brooks Robinson, died May14 from cancer at his Towson home. He was 61. “Connell was a unique guy [and] a very gifted artist,” said Sam Robinson, founder and owner of The Valley Craftsmen Ltd., an Owings Mills firm that furnishes decorative paint and plaster finishes for commercial, historic and residential clients. “He was a a wonderful craftsman, and he’ll be much missed.”
Edie M. Bernier, publicist for the Maryland State Fair, got to know Mr. Byrne at Loch Raven High School, where they were members of Campus Life, an afterschool religious program that met in members’ homes. They remained friends for more than 40 years.
“I appreciated his work and kindheartedness,” said Ms. Bernier. “Connell was a deep thinker, but fun. He was a good mix of everything.”
Connell Patrick Byrne was born in Columbia Station, Ohio. He was the son of Patrick Byrne, a salesman for American Totalizator Co., and Marjorie Byrne, a hematologist.
Due to the nature of his father’s livelihood, Mr. Byrne spent his early years in The Oranges in New Jersey before moving in 1965 to the Fellowship Farms neighborhood of Towson.
He was a 1976 graduate of Loch Raven High School and for a time worked as a waiter at the now-closed Crease Restaurant & Bar on York Road in Towson. During the 1980s he was a member of Tetelestai, a local progressive rock band.
During his high school years, Mr. Byrne became involved with Metro Maryland Youth for Christ and eventually became the organization’s resident artist.
He met his future wife, Carol Patzold, through the organization, and they married in 1985.
“When he was a child, his parents gave him art lessons. He was in classes with a lot of old people, and he was doing oil paintings,” said his wife, a ministry team director for Metro Maryland Youth for Christ.
Outside of attending several art classes at Towson University, Mr. Byrne was self-trained.
“He didn’t think those classes could teach him much, so he stopped going,” his wife said.
During the 1980s, he was a member of the production staff at the Maryland Science Center, designing and painting art for its planetarium shows, walls and exhibits. In the late ’80s, Mr. Byrne joined The Valley Craftsmen Ltd. and worked in their mural department.
“Connell was the core of the department,” Mr. Robinson said. “He was dependable and versatile and whatever I gave him to do, he made it better still. He was a terrific artist with a great attitude.
“One of his first projects for a residential client was a jungle scene complete with tropical birds, reptiles and monkeys around the walls of an enclosed pool,” Mr. Robinson recalled. “Connell had a bright spirit and was an absolute pleasure to work with every day.”
Another project Mr. Byrne was involved with was the Insect Zoo at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History.
He also did a great deal of pen-and-ink work, and work in acrylics.
“He did a large body of work that was from Revelations,” Mr. Robinson said. “The drawings were mystical and almost hallucinogenic.”
After receiving a diagnosis of testicular cancer in 1995, Mr. Byrne stopped working the next year — but continued creating art, including pieces featured at ArtScape and the Towsontown Festival.
He received numerous commissions, including an album cover for John Palumbo of the rock band Crack the Sky, and the cover and additional illustrations for Joseph W. Kelch’s book “Millions of Miles to Mars.” He also lent his artistic whimsy to musical instruments, walls, vehicles and more.
Glenn McNatt, who was an art critic for The Baltimore Sun, wrote in 2003 that Mr. Byrne’s “paintings, drawings and prints exploit the playful, fantastical realism of big budget animated blockbusters. Like their cinematic counterparts, Byrne’s works are easy on the eye, impish, instantly comprehensible and mostly harmless; even when disaster strikes, it’s usually long ago and far away.”
He was a volunteer and mentor to students at Liberty Christian School, Charles Hickey School, and the Loch Raven High School and Perry Hall High School Youth for Christ and Campus Life Connell Patrick Byrne was active with Metro Maryland Youth for Christ. clubs.
“Connell would instantly get in to the mix with kids, collaborating with them and teaching them things they didn’t think they could do,” said Gary Tibbels, a Liberty Christian School middle school Bible teacher and a longtime friend. “He helped develop art in the kids, in terms of their lives.”
Mr. Byrne designed Encounter Rooms for Metro Maryland Youth for Christ’s youth conferences. The rooms provided an interactive sensory experience of contemplation for thousands of teenagers over the years.
“He was an artist of incredible talent,” said Bob Arnold, the organization’s executive director from 1981 until 2013. “But like many artists, he never received the recognition he was due in his lifetime.
“He was a big thinker who, when we took walks, talked about a lot of things,” Mr. Arnold said. “He had deep thoughts and strong opinions. Connell’s genius is seen in the beauty of his creations.”
At his death, he was still active with Metro Maryland Youth for Christ. In a 2017 profile of Mr. Byrne, the organization observed that he had a “passion for glorifying God through his artwork.”
“Connell’s two favorite things were Scripture and art,” his wife said.
His wife said Mr. Bryne was “still painting, drawing on the computer, and doing his own artwork. He was even painting guitars.”
Mr. Arnold was with his friend at his death.
“Connell was wearing a shirt that said, ‘Authentic. One of a Kind,’ when he died,” he said. “He was very much at peace. It was a very powerful thing for people to see.”
A celebration of life service will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. June 10 at the home of Randy and Donna Martin, 10 Heritage Hills Court, Kingsville.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Byrne is survived by two brothers, Bill Byrne of Herndon, Va., and John Byrne of Knoxville, Tenn.; two sisters, Anne Prentice, also of Knoxville, and Susan Brown of Atlanta; and many nieces and nephews.