Portrait of the Artist features Sandra Constantine in the Poughkeepsie Journal
by Barbara Gallo Farrell, Poughkeepsie Journal 12:04 a.m. EDT July 31, 2014
When did you first realize you wanted to be an artist?
The thought of being or becoming an artist came to me at an early age, probably grade school. I am not sure it was a conscious decision. The seduction of colors and materials I believe were very pleasing to me, and the ability to escape into another space all my own.
Do you stick to a certain theme in your work or like to explore new techniques and subjects?
Explore. Each subject opens another world for discovery to inform future works. Exploration presents you with possibilities and these possibilities can lead to resolutions or not, which means further exploration!
What is your artist medium of choice? Why that medium?
Currently I am using watercolor, monoprints and photography to inform my collages. That being said I have been thinking about exploring oil pastels or returning to my very original medium oil painting. Each medium has a lesson to teach you. You must listen — they each have a contribution to make to your work.
Do you think creative individuals like yourself perceive the world differently from other people?
This is a difficult question. There is documentation about artists that have a condition called synesthesia where the brain is hard-wired, so any sense can trigger a color. The most common is colored letters where you actually have assigned colors to each letter in the alphabet. The other is colored hearing where sounds are colors. Joan Mitchell, David Hockney, Paul Klee are said to have had this, just to mention a few. I think my lens for seeing is with childlike spontaneity and adult soulfulness.
What you consider to be some of your greatest strengths and weakness?
Strength: Communication and integrity. Weakness: Impatience
What do you hope viewers will come away with after seeing your work?
Something that resonates with the viewer and conjures a memory.
How have you handled the business side of being an artist?
My time in the fashion industry has served me well. I am striving to create a balance between the business side and the work, with emphasis on my work.
Describe yourself in one word. Why that word?
Authentic.
I try to live my life in the most genuine way.
Who are some of your favorite artists?
Paul Klee, Joan Mitchell, the Bloomsbury Group, Robert Rauschenberg, Anne Ryan, Richard Diebenkorn.
What type of art decorates your home?
An eclectic mix. Pieces of my life, my findings, my past, my present.
How does your background contribute to your process as an artist?
I grew up as an only child. In retrospect, I think this greatly informs my work. Creating one’s own world and putting order to that world. Additionally, I am fortunate to have had amazing exposure to high level aesthetics of color, fabrics and materials during my international fashion career.
What excites you about art? What keeps you interested?
Possibilities. Possibilities.
Sandra Constantine received her degree in fine arts from American University in Washington, D.C. After moving to New York City, Constantine pursued work in the field of photography. She later chose to transfer her creative energies to the fashion industry and returned to her fine-arts practice after a decades-long career at the highest levels of the fashion industry in New York. Constantine lives and works in New York City and always considered the Berkshires and the Hudson Valley her second home. Visit www.sandraconstantine.com