Where: 616 Gallery, 616 S. 11th St.
When: Through Feb. 27; gallery hours are 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays and by appointment
Admission: free; call 301-9713
Omaha artist John Valentine is passionate about Eastern mysticism.
He’s an accredited teacher of T’ai Chi Chih, a form of Eastern meditation. And he’s also an ordained minister in a loose-knit group called Spiritual Healers and Earth Stewards.
Valentine’s interests and affiliations were the main inspiration for his new exhibit of paintings called “Yugen: The Art of Mystery,” which runs through Feb. 27 at 616 Gallery in the Old Market.
The title painting, “Yugen,” an 82-by-102-inch acrylic on canvas, refers to a Japanese word meaning profound grace and subtlety. The abstract work consists of a series of black-and-white streaks that flow across the canvas like ocean waves. A red circle is at the center of the canvas and looks like a blazing sun.
“That circle and all of the other circles in my paintings actually represent the circularity and energy of T’ai Chi Chih,” Valentine said.
A circle is the dominate shape in “Birth,” a 90-by-64-inch acrylic on canvas. Beams of light seem to be blazing from that circle, an image that calls to mind the Japanese rising sun. But unlike the famed Japanese sun, which is always deep red, Valentine’s image is more prismatic, gleaming with blues, reds and other colors.
“That painting is about myself,” Valentine said. “It represents the spark of creativity behind these works.”
Many of the other works in the show relate to themes such as earth, sky and sea.
“Earth Wall” is an abstract mix of brown, silver and gold sparkle paints, which glisten under the exhibition’s lights like jewels. “Peace” depicts a solitary moon in a clear sky, and “Ocean Spiral” is a celebration of aquatic colors: turquoise, green, blue and aqua.
One other painting worth noting is “The Uncarved Block.” It looks almost exactly like “Yugen,” except that it has a red square instead of a circle. It is as if “The Uncarved Block” is attempting to be the yin to the yang of “Yugen.”
“Both paintings are similar representations of mystical spirituality,” Valentine said.
Contact the writer:
444-1076, john.pitcher@owh.com
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