OPENING RECEPTION: Saturday, March 1, 2003 | From 5-7pm
When young Steppenwolf entered the final room of Hesse's novel he found it full of mirrors, each with a different reflection of himself. We all have many sides. Most people know Steve Cushman, the artist, from other circumstances.
This is not the side they know.
It is not the secret side. He has been a sculptor for many years and made no secret of it.
It is not the dark side. The "Nine Works" are at once bright and spirited in their structure and each has a poem imbeded into it with the thoughts of Cushman, the poet.
It is not easy to say which side these art works come from, except that it is safe to say that they come from the other side.
His "Nine Works" are created from a mix of elements, most of which are not traditionally thought of as artistic media. Wood, stone, lead, found objects and other materials form the structure of his art work. At times these elements are disparate and in the new association created in the sculpture they arrive at a fresh concept...sometimes clarified by the poem which has been hammered into an element of lead sheeting on his sculpture. There are other works where the association and meaning are much less clear and it appears that the artist has cobbled together items which fight against their physical association. Their adjacenies are sometimes humorous and other times vexing. This is what happens when we visit the other side.
Cushman's work is being exhibited in the Sullivan Goss' new Sculpture Paseo at the Downtown Santa Barbara Gallery. If you wish to be notified of our sculpture exhibitions, of which there will be five this year, please contact one of our galleries and you will receive invitations to the openings.