The January show at Art Center Ukiah was conceived to draw a wide variety of responses to the very general idea of "Light and Dark." For this darkest month of the year artists were asked how they relate to the contrast between light and dark because, in art, one cannot be seen without the other. Artists were encouraged to experiment in all mediums to explore various aspects of black and white such as Japanese notan, the play of sun and shadows, positive vs negative spaces or any other visual dance of opposites including the Chinese philosophy of Yin and Yang.

 

Yin and Yang, very simplified, is described as an opposite but interconnected, self-perpetuating cycle. Yin and Yang can be thought of as complementary and at the same time opposing forces. The possibilities for visualizing this philosophy about opposites are endless, and it is hoped that someone in our artist community will take the plunge to explore this ancient concept.

 

Cindy Lindgren is one of the artists who will be participating in the show with several entries, one of which is a notan project that she did in a class with Jazzminh Moore at Mendocino College. Cindy remembers, "Notan was the first thing we did in the class. I didn't even know what it was. Once we started working it was really fun. You begin with just a plain piece of black paper over a piece of white paper... and you just start cutting. It's all about composition, and what comes out is Yin and Yang. You can think about it or just cut without thought. Once I cut the shapes I thought about what I could do to make the piece meaningful to me, and I created a finished product that made me think of my late husband Jim and his music. It became very personal."

 

Cindy's other entry is a stunning dog portrait done on black scratchboard. It, like much of the art Cindy does, is an experiment in a medium that was new to her. She was encouraged by an artist friend to literally dig in and try the unfamiliar medium, and after a few cuts she had a new favorite skill. "I'm lucky because I want to learn," Cindy says. "I have no fear to hold me down from experimenting. It brings me so much joy."

 

Ukiah painter Janet Rosen also has pieces in the show. Hers are meticulously done pen and ink drawings rendered with nothing but fine lines, and lots of them. "I love pen and ink work and have since I was a teenager," Janet says enthusiastically. "I love surrendering to the hatching process. I love how intensely laborious it is." Janet has chosen images that have a feeling of mysterious narrative. She explains, "They are all from black and white photos which lend themselves to this kind of treatment. It's so process -driven to find a way to express all these textures with pens."

 

 

The First Friday opening of this show is January 3, from 5-8pm. Art center Ukiah is located in the rear of the Corner Gallery at 201 S State Street in Ukiah.