The sculptor Hib Sabin has been showing his art at Stonington Gallery for almost two decades now—a sizable chunk of time, but just a fraction of Sabin’s lengthy artistic career. Defying time itself, Sabin at age 87 is presenting new work that is as strong as ever, on the occasion of his solo show at Stonington Gallery. The exhibit is called The Four Seasons and it is inspired by Vivaldi’s famous violin concerti, “The Four Seasons.”

The Four Seasons consists of four tableaux, each ensemble composed of four wood carved figures respresenting a season. Birds and boats are the repeated elements that unify the four ensembles.

Birds have long featured in Sabin’s imagination. They have an added resonance in the Four Seasons context: Vivaldi famously incorporated birdsong into his composition. In “Spring Equinox Ensemble,” we see one bird taking flight, another bird fixed in a watchful pose, and a bird transmuted into a bowl. And there is a bird represented by a solitary feather–that is, unless the feather refers to something else entirely: the journey of the soul perhaps, or divination, or the ephemeral nature of existence. (These are all concepts that Sabin has explored in earlier works.) Sabin’s imagery resists easy readings, and remains enigmatic; it’s as if the images are lured in from mythic or spiritual realms well beyond the rational, and then captured in juniper wood carvings. The carvings, which are beautifully hand-painted, may be taken as hand-held spiritual implements meant for healing, or tools to re-invoke the dream-world from which they emerged.

While one could ponder the tableaux all day long, the art itself is not ponderous. In fact a whimsical spirit is present, shining through in unexpected color choices, or in the simplified and almost child-like design of the boats. Boats and canoes (like owls and ravens) are recurring images in Sabin’s world; these charming vessels in The Four Seasons, with their determined little oars, may call back the Odyssey, or the Ship of Fools. Or both, or neither.

Sabin’s imagery feels timeless, ancient, tied to myth, and that probably has to do with Sabin’s extensive world travels. He lived and studied with the Hadza people in Tanzania, and with aboriginal Australian communities; he immersed himself in shamanic practices in Mexico. He undertook cultural projects in India, Russia, and Uzbekistan. And somewhere along the line he encountered Pacific Northwest Coast Native mythologies and art-making traditions; they left the deepest mark on his own artistic vision.

Sabin’s days of international travel may be behind him, but The Four Seasons reveals that he still takes internal journeys, and still brings back valuable findings.

Tom McDonald

Tom McDonald is a writer and musician living on Bainbridge Island, Washington.

The Four Seasons is on view Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. through September 28, at the Stonington Gallery, located at 125 S. Jackson Street in Seattle, Washington. For further information, visit www.stoningtongallery.com.