Still Life

Steve Gillman, 1990 

Still Life by Steven Gillman consists of an embedded curved granite ring, six inches wide with openings at the N,W,E,S compass points. Spanning nearly 108 inches, the piece appears to both merge with and emerge from the landscape. Two granite slabs appear at the center of the circle inviting viewers into the circle. Carefully positioned on the lawn in front of Modoc Hall, the piece evokes ancient ruins or in Gillman’s words a “circle of life.”

Site plays an important role for Gilman in the creation of a piece. The artist noted that the canopy of trees at the site inspired Still Life. “I was struck by the majesty of the tree canopy towering over the site. Spending more time there, I noticed that people walked through generally making a beeline for the other side, not noticing the splendor of the trees above.” The ground level polished granite reflects the sky above and encourages viewers to take more notice of their surroundings.

Gillman is an established artist with notable public art sculpture sited around California. Still Life was commissioned through the California Arts Council, Art in Public Buildings Program.

For more information about the artist, visit his website: stevegillmansculpture.com