ARTIST STATEMENT

With over 30 years of experience as an architect and builder, I have been deeply immersed in the discipline of creating space through structure and logic. Architecture and construction demand adherence to parameters—program, shelter, gravity, structure, weather resistance. There are rules. Many rules. There is order.

My artwork is a response to this framework—a desire to break free from the constraints that have shaped my professional life. Yet, escaping what is deeply ingrained is not easy. My work lives in the tension between control and freedom, between order and play.

The “Smithville” series explores the creation of imposed order around an organic or dominant graphic element. Reminiscent of abstract aerial views of cities, the work investigates how grid systems interact with space, attempting to organize what resists being contained.

The central organic or graphic form serves as a point of origin—but not necessarily a destination—for the surrounding structure. As the work unfolds, deviations and departures emerge. Like cities shaped by rivers, coastlines, or terrain, human intervention can be deliberate and structured—or reactive and spontaneous.

At the heart of the series is an ongoing tension: control versus freedom, order versus play. Each composition becomes a meditation on which takes precedence—and whether either ever truly wins.

Bill Costello holds a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Minnesota and has practiced architecture in both Minnesota and California. His career has also included work as a furniture designer and partner in the award-winning design firm Lucero Studio. Bill’s architectural and construction projects have been featured in numerous publications for their quality and creativity.

Currently serving as CEO of Streeter Custom Builder in Wayzata, Minnesota, Bill turns to his artwork as a form of release—an expressive counterbalance to the rigor and discipline of his professional life.