JOHN COSTIN
ARTIST STATEMENT
I have always been fascinated by birds; their beauty and ability to fly. My interest in art began at a very young age; using crayons on the walls in my grandmother's house. She probably was not too happy about that. I studied art history and printmaking in college. Though I started working as an electrician in my early twenties, I knew it was temporary. I wanted to be an artist.
I am a printmaker. The process is challenging and I like that. 1 to 5 copper plates are individually hand wiped with various colors of ink to create an image on paper then run through my press. Then each piece is meticulously hand colored with either watercolor or oil. The copper plates take months to create and many weeks of proofing are done before an acceptable piece is created. This Artist Print (AP) sets the standard for the edition. It is a combination of drawing, sculpture and painting. It is one of the oldest printing process in the world; Rembrandt, Goya and other fine artists were printmakers. No computers or photography are ever used; each piece is handmade and hand painted and though the limited editions may range from 1-250 , no two pieces are the same.
I consider my work bird portraits. Most of my subjects are depicted life size. I go out in the field and take hundreds of photos of whatever bird I want to work on. The photos are taken back to my studio for me to study them and are then put away. Next I draw from memory, creating the backgrounds and posing the subject. I never use photographs while drawing because I do not want my subjects to look photographic. That is extremely important to me.
I am a printmaker. The process is challenging and I like that. 1 to 5 copper plates are individually hand wiped with various colors of ink to create an image on paper then run through my press. Then each piece is meticulously hand colored with either watercolor or oil. The copper plates take months to create and many weeks of proofing are done before an acceptable piece is created. This Artist Print (AP) sets the standard for the edition. It is a combination of drawing, sculpture and painting. It is one of the oldest printing process in the world; Rembrandt, Goya and other fine artists were printmakers. No computers or photography are ever used; each piece is handmade and hand painted and though the limited editions may range from 1-250 , no two pieces are the same.
I consider my work bird portraits. Most of my subjects are depicted life size. I go out in the field and take hundreds of photos of whatever bird I want to work on. The photos are taken back to my studio for me to study them and are then put away. Next I draw from memory, creating the backgrounds and posing the subject. I never use photographs while drawing because I do not want my subjects to look photographic. That is extremely important to me.
CORPORATE & PUBLIC COLLECTIONS
Bank of America, Tampa, FL
Board of Hillsborough County Commissioners, Tampa, FL
City of St. Petersburg, FL
City of Tampa, Tampa, FL
Commerce National Bank & Trust, Winter Park, FL
Department of Transportation, Leesburg, FL
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Ferman Motor Car Company, Tampa, FL
General Motors Corp., Chicago, Ill
I.B.M., Chicago, Ill.
Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Miami-Dade County Library, Miami, FL
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando, FL
Raymond James Financial, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL
Shutts & Bowen, LLP, Tampa, FL
State Library of FL, Tallahassee, FL
Tampa Museum of Art, FL
The Mayflower, Winter Park, FL
Board of Hillsborough County Commissioners, Tampa, FL
City of St. Petersburg, FL
City of Tampa, Tampa, FL
Commerce National Bank & Trust, Winter Park, FL
Department of Transportation, Leesburg, FL
Eckerd College, St. Petersburg, FL
Ferman Motor Car Company, Tampa, FL
General Motors Corp., Chicago, Ill
I.B.M., Chicago, Ill.
Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, FL
Miami-Dade County Library, Miami, FL
Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL
Orlando Aviation Authority, Orlando, FL
Raymond James Financial, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL
Shutts & Bowen, LLP, Tampa, FL
State Library of FL, Tallahassee, FL
Tampa Museum of Art, FL
The Mayflower, Winter Park, FL
EDUCATION
B.A. Degree, Fine Arts, U.S.F., Tampa, 1982
A.A. Degree, Fine Arts, P.C.C., 1976
A.A. Degree, Fine Arts, P.C.C., 1976
