She currently resides in Santa Barbara, California where she pursues abstract paintings inspired by the coastlines and verdure of California as well as the lush landscapes discovered during her extensive travels around the world. Connally was educated at Oklahoma University and Wichita State University and later earned her MFA at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Dallas was Connally’s home for over 30 years, but after spending many summers in Santa Barbara, she located there full-time in 2005 with her husband, Hal Michel. She sites Joan Mitchell and Alice Neel as her main influences.