- April 17, 2024
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Joe Costanzo will host his first major art exhibit Friday, Oct. 4, at The Casements, where he’ll display about 50 of his watercolor paintings.
BY MIKE CAVALIERE | ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Joe Costanzo was never a “genius” in school; he just wasn’t interested, he says. But when it came to things that did interest him — things like sketching and art — he found he figured them out, and got good at them, quickly.
“While the teachers were talking, I was drawing cars and women,” Costanzo chuckled. “I’ve always had an interest in art.”
That interest morphed into a business when he got a bit older. He opened a sign-painting company, and as the industry leaned more toward computers, he leaned with it, printing and designing signs for the better part of 30 years.
The only problem was, it was tough to paint for pleasure when he already worked every day around oils and turpentine. He didn’t get serious again about painting until about a decade back, just before he and his wife, Nora, moved to Ormond Beach.
Even now, although he does paint — the walls of his Tomoka Oaks home are adorned with framed originals of his work, much like the cluttered spare room in back he uses as a studio — he only uses watercolors.
The oil-based phase of his life is over.
“It’s just not fun to do that for me anymore,” he said. “I did it for so many years in my business. … It’s something I have absolutely no interest in right now.”
Maybe one day he’ll try to work with pastels, he added, but he’s well aware of how he operates in phases.
“I get bored with things after a while,” he said. “Like right now, I’m in a building (and street) phase, but next month, I may get tired of doing buildings and I may go back to landscapes … or boats.”
Other aspects of his life have moved in phases, as well. Before he owned his business, he worked in computer programming, and for the phone company. And before painting for pleasure, he used to restore antique jukeboxes and record players, as well as cars and motorcycles (two of those restorations are on display in Myrtle Beach and Tokyo).
He’s also done lots of home remodeling, including fixing up a 300-year-old barn, and then building a farmhouse beside it to match its style.
How did he learn all of this? Simply by watching others, he says. By paying attention.
“I’ve always liked mechanical things. I’ve always worked with my hands,” he said. “It’s really not that difficult if you have an interest in it.”
And he’s always been interested in art, too — where he prefers a “looser” style: less detail, more left to the imagination.
“I don’t like mine to look like a photograph — at all,” he said. “I want my work to be loose and different and not look like every other artist.”
He points to a painting in the corner: “That’s a Paris scene.” But corners of the streetscape are hazy. There are figures, but no faces.
“As an artist, I’m trying to make things look pretty, and kind of make it mysterious,” he said. “Where is it and what are they doing? … You kind of have to think.”
He also likes to paint to bring back memories — mostly of his travels to Italy, where “every place was my favorite when I was there”; Ireland, Paris and Oregon.
Costanzo is the only male member of the Ormond Beach Artists Guild and, even though he says he doesn’t quite need them, occasionally he takes art classes, because they’re fun.
And this year, he and his wife will be heading back to Italy, where they honeymooned 17 years ago.
“So I’ll be doing more painting,” he said. “I love the feeling of being able to (create art) … but it wouldn’t be as fun if it wasn’t from something.”
Come out to the opening
“Watercolors by Joseph Costanzo” will open 5-8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 4, at The Casements. Costanzo, 63, will display about 50 of his works, included paintings of European towns, Oregon boat docks and even local landmarks, including Rose Villa, Frappes North, the yacht club and The Loop.
Visit josephcostanzo.com, or call The Casements, at 676-3216.