STEVE BOWERSOCK
Conceptual Series
Throughout the month of July, Steve Bowersock will present an exhibition of paintings from multiple bodies of work that comment on politics, race and identity. The pieces, on view at his Bowersock Gallery in Provincetown, Massachusetts, are not literal but rather well planned, conceptual compositions that allow the viewers to form their own reactions and thoughts.
“The artist has a job to tell a story or narrative, and once it’s done it belongs to the viewer,” Bowersock shares. “You’ll notice a lot of my titles are neutral. I have the concept or idea, but the viewer can see something totally different.”
For each painting, Bowersock meticulously builds the concept, subjects and design. “I start the story I’m trying to do, and it turns into a conceptual idea with adding the sketching or drawing to create the narrative,” he elaborates, explaining that sometimes the planning can go on for days, but once it’s complete the work falls into place.
In the exhibition will be several works based on a show he did last fall called Current State of Affairs where water, fish and insects are used to comment on the times. In Down Below the Surface, several goldfish swim about as one jumps above the waterline. “I’m also fascinated with what lies behind the veil. The fish are in their own community, but there is one person trying to get out and is curious about what’s on the other side,” says the artist. The other fish, and the viewer, are left to wonder what the fish is doing and where it might be going.
He also will show works from his Lost Childhood series that often depict figures holding balloons, which are considered a symbol for childhood. One of the pieces, There is No Color, is a lavender hued canvas that signifies “when we are children we see no color,” Bowersock shares. “We see friends, love; going to school there’s friendship and love. As we get older, we’re taught and all of a sudden we start seeing color.”
Paintings from his Mother Nature series will also be on view, including his first piece where he experiments with gold leaf titled Hidden Layers.
Bowersock Gallery 373 Commercial Street • Provincetown, MA 02657 • (508) 487-4994 • www.bowersockgallery.com