Kosztalascopes Kaleidoscopes

Steve Kosztala

As one of eight children, I didn’t grow up with store-bought toys. Instead my siblings and I used our active imaginations to create our own playthings. In 1982 I graduated from the Boston Architectural Center with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. In my spare time from work, I completed hands-on wood projects, building cabinetry, furniture, and three house additions. In late 2017, after retiring from a 25-year career with the County Building Department in Cincinnati, I took a class in making kaleidoscopes. My imagination was ignited! In 2018 I started designing and crafting wooden kaleidoscopes which I call Kosztalascopes, no two of them alike. I rent space in a woodworking shop at the Essex Studios in Cincinnati where I create my fusions of wood and colored glass. Kosztalascopes have been exhibited in numerous Cincinnati art shows including the Northminster Fine Arts Fair, the Hyde Park Art Show, and the Milford Art Affaire, as well as shows in Kentucky such as at the Belle of Louisville