About the Artist

It was wasn't until her late thirties that Costanza Knight was able to follow her dream of becoming a full-time, self-sustainable artist. Though painting and art had always been a part of her life, Costanza's parents encouraged her to get a "practical degree."  For many years she was a speech and language pathologist, which actually provided her with a direct connection between teaching communication and interpreting the human experience through her artwork.



Costanza's water media and mixed media paintings, drawings, and prints are contemporary expressions that explore and celebrate the human form and the landscape. "My purpose in painting is to let people know that there is beauty in the world and that it is available at anytime. Whether it's a bird in your backyard, a sunset-let beauty pour over you and inspire you. There is beauty everywhere."

We instantly found soulful beauty in Costanza's painting, "She Rose," featured on this month's cover. Poetry and narratives are often her inspiration. In this case it was the African-American folktale, The People Who Could Fly by Virginia Hamilton. After hearing her husband Bill, a therapeutic storyteller, recount this story, Costanza was completely taken. "The story is about how people rise above situations and their desire to be free," she explained.

With a deep connection spinning its way around her heart, Costanza began painting a series of works that visually interpreted Hamilton's folktale, ultimately creating 12 paintings. These 12 pieces are now on display as a permanent part of the Department of African American Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. "They are really powerful when they're all together!" she said. Fortunately, giclÈe prints are still available.

Floridian by birth, Costanza spent her summers in Saluda, North Carolina, where she took painting lessons from her father, an artist. Still a resident of this glorious, picturesque, mountainous part of the world, now in Hendersonville, NC, Costanza finds inspiration daily from many sources-usually, simply from a walk in her nearby surroundings.  However, her first realization that she wanted to formalize her interest in art came when she was attending university in Florence, Italy. She took a figure drawing class and fell in love with the process of breathing life into her drawings. She has continued her studies at the University of North Carolina in Asheville.

Now a teacher herself, Costanza, an award-winning artist, holds art classes two days a week for children ranging in age from six to 20. The rest of her workweek is reserved for her personal studio time where she paints with enthusiasm. "I am happiest when I have a brush in my hand!"

A regular vacationer to Fripp Island, Costanza's work can be found at two Beaufort area galleries. "The People Who Can Fly" series is available at the Red Piano Too Gallery on St. Helena Island. Her "Jazz Series" is available at The Gallery on Bay Street in downtown historic Beaufort. To learn more, log onto www.costanzaknight.com.