PUTNEY — As a boy growing up in the late 1950s, Putney artist Art Costa started building toys and tree houses from found materials on his family's California dairy farm. He earned an art degree at California State University at Stanislaus in 1976 and then, in 2000, had a flash of inspiration that Balinese dance masks reminded him of his dad's old 1950s Buicks.
A grant by the Vermont Arts Council propelled him through a year of focused whimsy, resulting in the series of wall sculptures, “Balinese Buicks.” This series was constructed using cardboard, cereal boxes, and colorful tissue-paper “skins” to create striking, human-scale masks.
Though built of humble materials, Costa's masks “leaves the viewer stunned by the gaze of an other-worldly creature,” according to a news release.
The “Buicks” and more of Costa's sculptures are on exhibit through February and March at the Putney Public Library, 55 Main St., during the library's regular hours: Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m..