Felix Bronner: biologist and painter

Atop the broad doorway of Felix Bronner's painting studio are three commands written on crisp white cards in thick black marker: "search," "investigate," and "stay with it." These are words for a scientist to live by, especially one who, like Bronner, has made significant contributions to his field. But for Bronner, those words are about art, not science. Bronner, 85, is a professor emeritus at the University of Connecticut whose distinguished career investigating calcium homeostasis, transport and metabolism continues today. He is co-editing the third in a five-volume series, Topics in Bone Biology, published by Springer, UK. And he is an accomplished artist working in oils with nearly 1,000 paintings to his credit.Bronner first picked up a brush in the late 1970s, taking classes at the local high school, then the West Hartford Art League, eventually moving on to private lessons. He's more than a recreational painter --...