THE REGISTER CITIZEN

Litchfield native to open Gallery 7 in Torrington

By Ben Lambert

TORRINGTON — Jennifer Abbot-Tillou recommitted to art after a finding herself in motion and out-of-balance — both figuratively and literally.

“I literally fell off the treadmill at work,” said Abbot-Tillou. “It was almost divine intervention. I was just like, ‘oh my gosh, I need to slow down — (I) fell off the proverbial treadmill in life.”

A Litchfield native, Abbot-Tillou said Friday that she had an artistic bent as a child and began sculpting in the 1990s.

But her personal life, as the mother of two children, and her professional life owning as a personal training business took precedent. By 2009, she felt stifled, without the time or energy to spend creating.

After falling, she informed her staff that she was taking a month off, and eventually decided to make a significant change. She sold her home and business and moved back to Litchfield from Wellesley, Mass., and reoriented herself to creating art.