Now and Then, Kinds of Light

Opening Saturday: In her meditative new paintings and mixed-media work, Twin Cities artist Elizabeth Erickson infuses inspiration from Eastern mysticism and Western religions with the "light of the Minnesota prairie" where she has always lived. Like fireflies flickering in northern Minnesota forests on hot summer nights, flecks of color spark her inky paintings. But, she says, those pastel flashes also allude to the sacred chants of Hildegard of Bingen, the contemplative reflections of East Indian master Meher Baba, the Seven Planes of Spiritual Consciousness, and the "inner life of humans" as encountered through intuition and deep thought. A big agenda, indeed, but worth pursuing — and checking out. (Opening 6-9 p.m. Sat. Free. Form + Content Gallery, Whitney Square Building, 210 N. 2nd St., Mpls. Ends April 12. 612-436-1151 or www.formandcontent.org)

Mary Abbe