RS Hanna Gallery - "En Plein Air" Show

“En Plein Air” 

June 1 ~ June 30

Gene Costanza, Peter Fiore, Frank Gardner, Marc Hanson, Natasha Isenhour, Rusty Jones, Margi Lucena, Neil Patterson, 

Bob Rohm, Jeri Salter, Hodges Soileau and Marie Wise

Nothing is as inspirational as the experience of the timelessness of nature that speaks through plein air, waiting for an artist to transcribe on canvas or paper....the experience of a meadow seen after a spring rain, a composition of earth and sky enlivened that stops our thoughts and captures our imagination for a lifetime.  Our exceptional plein air artists, Gene Costanza, Peter Fiore, Frank Gardner, Marc Hanson, Natasha Isenhour, Rusty Jones, Margi Lucena, Neil Patterson, Bob Rohm, Jeri Salter, Hodges Soileau and Marie Wise capture the moment in the natural world as only such talent can do....come see and enjoy this breath of fresh air, en the plein.

Artist Peter Fiore

"Late Summer, Red Barn" is a 16" x 20" Oil

"Late Summer Shed" is a 14" x 19" Oil

"Autumn Field" is a 9" x 12" Oil

"January Gold" is a 24" x 18" Oil

"Going Home, Winter Dusk" is a 18" x 24" Oil

"Distant Glow, January" is a 12" x 16" Oil

RS Hanna Gallery proudly features the beautiful work of Pennsylvania artist Peter Fiore.  His paintings are lovely... strong in dramatic light and rich in color.  Come see them in person!

Fiore was recently quoted in the November 2011 edition of American Art Collector magazine as saying "It's my vision of what I'm looking at.  I'm re-orchestating the entire landscape, changing how I perceive it.  I want people to see what I feel," explains Fiore.  "I look at the landscape as a jumping-off point...I think of the landscape as an abstract thought."

Here's a brief biography about Peter Fiore.

Peter Fiore is an american landscape painter who is best known for painting light and his striking use of color. His landscape paintings are widely collected and are in many corporate and private collections. He has won a number of awards and has been featured in an assortment of publications including Fine Art Connoisseur as an "Artist to Watch".

Peter was born in Teaneck, NJ in 1955. He studied at Pratt Institute and the Art Students League of New York. Previously, he worked as a professional illustrator where he collaborated on thousands of projects. He has been on the faculty at Pratt Institute, Syracuse University and presently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Peter has given numerous guest lectures and workshops on painting. His work is represented in prestigious galleries across the country. Peter lives and works along the Delaware River in northeastern Pennsylvania.

Artist Gene Costanza at RS Hanna Gallery, Texas

Artist Gene Costanza's original oil painting "Dive Shop, Belize" measures 16" x 32"

Artist Gene Costanza's original oil painting "I Love Eastpoint" measures 16" x 32"

I love these two amazing paintings by Gene Costanza.  I've always held a special place in my heart for coastal scenes.  The vibrant, beautiful colors in these two are just terrific!  


Both of these paintings can be located at the RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas.  

Here's some biographical information about Gene.  

GENE COSTANZA

American, b.1954 

Gene Costanza is a contemporary realist painter of traditional subject matter, focusing primarily on landscape and man's interaction with it and nature. Equally at home painting “en plein air’ as well as in the studio, Costanza orchestrates paintings that engage the viewer to enter the subject with him by capturing the light and atmosphere.

Over twenty-five years of his life was spent in Law Enforcement in such specialties as SWAT, K9 Handler, K9 Supervisor, Patrol Supervisor and Detective.  About mid career, the desire to return to artistic endeavors surfaced after having been abandoned in his early twenties.  Though dormant, there was a constant underlying desire to again delve into the mysteries of paint, light, and subject matter.  Costanza believes it took a decade and a half of discipline to mold his personal tendencies to study and work as hard as one needs to in the very difficult endeavor of making a good painting.  Costanza retired from law enforcement to become a full-time painter.

Primarily “self-taught,” he has studied with a number of great contemporary artist/teachers including; Kevin McPherson, Matt Smith, Jeffery Watt, and has a long standing close personal as well as professional friendship with Scott L. Christensen.  It is Christensen whom Costanza credits with most of his growth.  Frequently these two can be found painting, fishing, hunting or just enjoying the fellowship of intimate friendship.

His work is in collections from coast to coast and is included in the permanent collection of the Academy Museum in Easton, Maryland.

Costanza is married and has two grown sons and makes his home in Eugene, OR.

RS Hanna Gallery - Artist Margi Lucena

Artist Margi Lucena's painting "Winter View, Highway 1"

12" x 16" Pastel on Board

Artist Margi Lucena's painting "Little Anna's Road"

8" x 10" Pastel on Board

I love paintings with snow. I especially love the ones that have lots of color and light in them like two paintings done by artist Margi Lucena. These two amazing little pastels can be found at the RS Hanna Gallery in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Here's some biographical information from the artist.    

"I've always drawn and painted. When I was little, I would watch my Dad at his easel. The smells of paint, turpentine, and linseed oil were as comforting as the smell of home cooking. In recent years, I have found the pure color and amazing versatility of pastels have made it my favorite medium."  The amazing and magical landscape of New Mexico keeps me simultaneously grounded and floating on air. The light, atmosphere and color in the southwest are constantly changing. Whether I am painting en Plein Air or in the studio, I try to express what I see and how I feel about the beauty of the natural landscape that surrounds me. My goal as an artist is to establish a connection between my expression of what is before me, and you, the viewer.

Professional affiliations include: 

Pastel Society of New Mexico, Signature Member

Pastel Society of America

Plein Air Painters of New Mexico

Women Artists of the West, Associate Member

National League of American Pen Women

Recent Honors & Awards: 

2010 -The Pastel Journal 2010 Pastel 100, Landscape Division, Honorable Mention, Judge Paul Murray

2010 - Fine Art Studios Online (FASO) Jan. 2010, Second Place Overall, Judge Brian Blood

2010 - FASO, Jan. 2010, Outstanding Pastel, Judge Brian Blood

2009 - 17th National Pastel Painting Exhibition, 2009, PSNM, Artisan Santa  Fe Award, Judge Colette      Odya-Smith; 

2008 - New Mexico State Fair Hispanic Arts 2008, First and Second Place,  Pastels.