Kowalski art reception set at Gallery 50 in Rehoboth Oct. 1

Steve Kowalski will hold a two-night art exhibit Friday, Sept. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 1, at Gallery 50 in Rehoboth Beach. Kowalski is a modern artist, inspired by Warhol, Picasso and Matisse. An artist's reception is set for 6 to 8 p.m., Saturday. All are welcome.

In this exhibit, Kowalski displays his variety of media but consistency of style. "It is the combination of life before me [the model] melding with the amazing visual influences of my life, captured on paper or within sculpture. I think that as a society, we take ourselves too seriously. High pressure and in some cases the absolute drive for perfection determine the focus. I don't want my art to convey that," said Kowalski. "I like blending the real with more abstract into a deeper trip of the unknown."

Starting out in Schenectady, Kowalski's family moved to Arizona for a few years when he was 19 years old. "I went to community college out there for landscape design," he said, but it was really only the design aspect that drew him into the field. "Pretty soon, I knew I didn't want to do that completely." He finished art school at The College of Saint Rose in 1998, graduating with a concentration in sculpture. "I love to paint and draw, but for me the three-dimensional nature of sculpture is powerful," he said.

Gallery 50 is at 50 Wilmington Ave. next to the Henlopen City Oyster House and Salt Air restaurants in Rehoboth Beach. For more information, find the gallery on Facebook and Instagram, call 302-227-2050 or go to www.gallery50art.com.