"Start With A Faucet" new paintings by Steven Corsano opens June 17th.

Shelter Island, NY, May 31, 2011  'Start With A Faucet' brings New York artist Steven Corsano back to boltax.gallery for his second solo show. Anchored by 11 new paintings, 'Start With A Faucet' is an ambitious exhibition that will introduce Corsano's first film "Giddy-up Lunch Box" as well as his first book "Black Nagual". The artist's reception is Saturday, June 18 from 6 to 8 pm. The exhibition runs through July 4.

Naïve exploration and spiritual discovery are at the heart of all of Corsano's work. A poet and painter, he is often inspired by phrases and images that emerge during dreams. The show's title 'Start With A Faucet', which references an Egyptian ceremony called the 'opening of the mouth' is for Corsano " a powerful metaphor for freedom of expression".

Rooted in painting and drawing, Corsano's most recent series of works on paper radiate with child-like exuberance, poetic delicacy and personal symbolism. Collecting stones from the beach, he developed a process of tracing them, "it was another way to connect to the land... pencil against rock... it feels very intuitive and vital, like learning to draw landscapes from the land itself." The results lend an intricacy to mixed-media works 'Bird In The Stone' and 'Seven Circuits Of The Stone'.

One can see the coalescence of the internal narrative and external environment in works like 'Keepsake (for Lydia) and 'Momento Mori' both tributes to his stepmother. Echoes of his past are threaded through 'R Is A River To The Sun', which "speaks to the redressing of old wounds, sexuality and rebirth".

Originally a collection of 23 4x6" black and white paintings, 'Black Nagual' will be presented as a limited edition, signed book. Haiku-like in their simplicity, these works stand as both a beginning to a new period of work, and a singular collection of images. Painted on a trip to Hawaii, "they represent a moment when I stepped away from interior landscapes and connected to the natural world at large."

The short film 'Giddy-up Lunch Box' adds a new dimension to Corsano's storytelling. Starring a cast of idiosyncratic puppets created by Corsano, they offer the artist a compelling new voice. Naïve and profound, the film nimbly toggles between humor, camp and deep emotion while addressing autobiographical subjects like suicide and family.

exhibition dates: june 17 - july 4
gallery hours: thursday - monday 11am - 6pm