Gene Costanza

I was born in Quantico Virginia, the son of a career Marine.  We moved quite a bit and I sometimes wonder if that isn’t why I love the landscape.  Every year or two it was off to a new home in a new state and a completely new environment.  I was in High School when Dad died.  We moved to the Northwest.  I have enjoyed drawing for as long as I can remember.  As a kid, it seemed to be the only thing that kept my attention for longer than 20 minutes.

I began formal art education at the community college level in the early 1970’s.  Art was abandoned in the mid 1970’s out of sheer frustration and a lack of clear direction.  I literally threw everything in a closet, or in the fireplace, and walked away.  I looked for something else to do and through a series of events, landed in police work.  It sounded fun and challenging.  I’d just gotten married and needed a regular paycheck.  I intended on staying in police work for about five years and enjoy the excitement.  Time flies.   For over 26 years I was a police officer.  I served my fellow citizens in such assignments on SWAT, as a Patrol Officer and Patrol Supervisor, K9 handler and trainer and as the K9 Supervisor.  I finished my career in the Detective Division. 

In the early 1990’s, I began to paint again.  The art bug, though dormant but still very much on my mind, took hold.  I had wanted to get back to art, but just had not taken the steps.   Truthfully, until I’d been a police officer for that long, I had not developed the discipline needed to get where I wanted and intended to go with painting.  I think we all acknowledge it’s a journey not a destination.  Knowing I could not abandon my career I began looking for education and training by first contacting and networking with local artists.  I needed a quickly ascending learning curve.  I called a local artist and asked him if he would teach me to paint.  I was told “you learn to paint by painting.”

Nothing worthwhile comes easy.  I began to seriously pursue painting by reading how-to books as well as devouring books by and about painters, and smearing paint.  Then, as now, when I travel, museums and galleries are a prime consideration.  For me, several “self taught” artists, including Winslow Homer, Edgar Payne and Trevor Chamberlain provided enough inspiration that if I work hard enough, I could improve.  Several years ago I began taking workshops with contemporary painters.  Since then I have been privileged to develop a close friendship with the highly esteemed artist, Scott L. Christensen.  It is necessary to acknowledge one's roots and I note all the historic painters that I admire do not hesitate to do so.

We met in an airport in Salt Lake City.  We started talking and almost missed our plane.  Since then, we have been on numerous painting trips together and I have been invited to accompany him, and assist in, many of his workshops.  His generosity in sharing his beliefs about painting has been instrumental to, what I believe to be, the start of the lifelong growth in my ability to translate artistic desire to canvas.

 http://genecostanza.com

541-729-9332 

paintrgc@gmail.com