Regardless of which side of the bed one rolls off, the numbing effects of the daily grind battering your average working stiff can either temper the spirit or set the wheels of future spree killers spinning. Luisa Mesa seems determined to not buckle under those nasty curve balls life often pitches. For Mesa, her journey as a painter is as significant as the finished product. When creating mandalas, I experience a certain sense of inner order and an increased degree of focus. The repetition of lines in my drawings is a form of meditation, she says.
Tonight at 6:00, the Diaspora Vibe Gallery unveils Full Circle: A Journey Within, featuring nearly 30 of Mesas circular abstract canvasses bursting with rhythmic lines, dots, and spirals. She enters a trancelike state when making her work, remarks Rosie Gordon-Wallace, gallery director. Ditch the Prozac or thoughts of going postal, and spiral into Mesas world of harmonious bold strokes conceived as a tonic for the soul.
June 8-22, 6 p.m.