Well-Traveled Optekamp Finds Home in Art, Galveston

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

Sunny afternoons are a good time to stop in and see the artwork of Gregg Optekamp at From the Heart Gallery in Galveston. With the sunshine as a light source, Optekamp steps onto Post Office Street and demonstrates how his work appears to change with light or he’ll allow the wind to bring a slight flutter to the leaves of gold on one of his multidimension pieces. 

Gallery owner Scott Edwards and his late wife Samitha were delighted to discover Optekamp’s work three years ago. “There is so much dimension to his work. There’s no wrong way to look at his paintings,” said Edwards.  

His work is described as vibrant and full of movement and change, which also reflects who Optekamp is and the life he has lived.

He was born in Nairobi, Kenya and grew up in constant motion with changes in culture, language, and living spaces. 

Most children live in a place which doesn’t involve daily housekeeping services or being able to ring room service for items from the kitchen, but Optekamp didn’t live like most children. His childhood was spent living in five-star hotels on four different continents. 

Both of Optekamp’s parents were in hotel management, and flexibility along with tolerance and respect were part of his upbringing. “One day we’d be in one country and then we’d move to another with a new language, a new culture and new friends,” explained Optekamp. 

He has fond memories of hosting parties for his classmates and ordering anything they requested. He vividly recalls sailing with his high school buddies off the coast of Abu Dhabi. His childhood also exposed him to people, art, and lifestyles from numerous countries of the world.  

In his adult journey, he worked briefly as a dishwasher in Norway before moving on to a book binding factory. He held a variety of labor-intensive jobs, though he had attended business school in South Carolina. 

It wasn’t until his early 30’s that Optekamp stepped into a position which brought him his own wealth and prestige providing services to the oil industry. 

Those gravy train years came to an end when Optekamp hit the bottom of his emotional barrel and finally sought out treatment for his alcoholism. “I’ve been sober for 10 years and my AA sponsor is a Marine and he doesn’t let me get away with any whining,” said Optekamp

Through the sobering up period of his life, he rediscovered his childhood talent for painting. “My mom has several of the paintings I made when I was a kid,” said Optekamp.

During the first couple of years as an artist, he was barely scrapping by. “I went to resale stores and bought pictures in frames and took them apart to use the canvas. I’d paint over whatever was on the canvas,” Optekamp explained.

His confidence as an artist took off when two of his paintings sold at a charity auction for $2,000 each. Since then, he has provided paintings to many nonprofit fundraisers. “Being an artist, I found out it’s not just about my journey. It’s about giving to others,” said Optekamp. 

With a desire to create his own signature style of art, Optekamp began experimenting in painting pieces of clear fiberglass. He uses a mixture of 4-5 paint types. Creating a piece with his technique takes 4-5 days to complete. 

Cary Duval White purchased six Optekamp original fiberglass pieces. “I commissioned him for two pieces then when I went to pick them up, I was in his studio and I ended up going home with a carful of his work,” said White. 

Painting is only part of Optekamp’s talents; another is his endless optimism. “He is just a ball of optimism and has been a ray of hope for everyone after all we have been through the past year,” said Edwards. 

 Add in his generous spirit, and Optekamp is becoming a favorite personality for many people who stroll down Post Office Street.