“The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.” 

– Aristotle

People stop to gaze at the piece hanging before them—a red A-Frame house with a kite floating above. It is simple, but they cannot look away. Some time passes and still, they stand gazing at the piece. They see an A-Frame home and a kite lost in engrossing clouds, or maybe it is fog? They still can’t look away and become lost in the painting. 

This is the magic of one of Steve Bowersock’s pieces of work, “Still Holding Onto Something.” He proudly says, “I want the viewer to get lost in the piece.” That is the power of the artist and his layered work: he beautifully captures the outward appearance of things but also unveils something beneath the surface—the inner significance which grabs a hold on the viewer and doesn’t let go. He explains, “I’m hoping I can take you on a journey in the painting for at least five minutes, or maybe even three. I did my job because I got you to stop thinking and stand in the present moment.” 

His art exists in the unique intersection of surrealism and realism. It’s what pushes the viewer to a place of fascination. He says a friend summed up his work perfectly, “She said when you first look at my work, it looks all beautiful and lovely. And then the more you look at it, the deeper it becomes and the more the message goes deeper than beyond the surface. And that’s what I strive to do. I’m trying to see what is on the other side of that veil.”

He executes his talent in a way of someone who has had to experience the other side of the beautiful, lovely veil. “The latest series helps my mind to connect to more pleasant thoughts as opposed to over processing of the images that are the root of my PTSD and anxiety.” It is a beautifully terrifying process that transformed Bowersock’s passion into purpose. Purpose which was felt by one of the oldest art organizations in the United States: The Salmagundi Club.

Last year, the Club hosted a military art exhibition with Bowersock and his paintings in attendance. This year, the artist is returning with a stronger purpose. “I will be exhibiting with other military veteran artists at the Salmagundi club in NYC this July. The art focuses on the trauma that has been the experience for so many veterans. There is purpose to these works. My hope that if your stuck in a tail spin of anxiety and depression, for even a moment, you can escape and achieve understanding through my paintings.” 

To Bowersock, pushing boundaries has always been in his framework and creative process. “I grew up on a farm in Ohio and I always knew that if I stuck around, I would be a different person.” He didn’t wait for life to unfold. He joined the Marines but was always holding onto that creative passion that was born in his childhood. After deciding to pursue his true nature, Bowersock moved to New Hampshire for an education and from that moment on, he became a true artist. He met his partner, Mike, and the two have made a beautiful life in Provincetown. The couple opened up Bowersock Fine Art Gallery on Commercial Street. 20 years later, the gallery still houses art that whispers wonders and highlights artists who have a different flare. It’s what makes the gallery so alive.

The art embodies Aristotle’s wise words because of the artist behind the piece. Steve Bowersock has a passion and purpose. He holds an inner significance that captures the viewer and holds onto them until they are ready to let go—just like the kite soaring above the red A-Frame home. 

View Bowersock’s work and other cutting-edge, contemporary pieces at Bowersock Gallery located on Commercial Street in Provincetown or bowersockgallery.com.