Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain - Cohort A

Class students proudly holding up their artwork.

Gallery 86 welcomed its first group of students for its first round of group drawing classes in March.

This group drawing series is named after the book of the same name, “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.” The class focuses on rejecting the concept of talent and instead, focusing on drawing as a skill that anyone can improve upon with just a little practice. To do this, the class series employs unconventional drawing lessons, including drawing with your non-dominant hand, drawing negatives spaces only, drawing images upside down, and drawing light first, instead of shadows.

Co-founder Nicolas Gonzalez modeling for our group of students in the first class of the series.

For the first class, students drew from our live model, co-founder Nicolas Gonzalez. After warming up with fast 1-minute drawings, students were instructed to draw using their non-dominant hand. Drawings instantly changed in nature. Many students found, surprisingly, that their drawings were better. And this is the point of the class. Many of us, due to the pressures of modern life, spend too much time operating with the left side of our brain, which tends to be more analytical and mechanical in nature. The arts, almost by definition, are not this way. Betty Edwards, the author of the book in question, believes creativity is more about intuition, as opposed to scientific thinking. Because our brains are contra-laterally wired, meaning right-handed activities are controlled with the left side of your brain and vice versa, drawing with the opposite hand is an almost instant path to tapping into the non-dominant hemisphere (typically the right side of the brain) where intuition and creativity resides.

Artists using scratch board to focus on the negative space in their drawings.

Another way to learn how to draw is to draw what’s not there, or as we call it in the visual arts: negative space. In order to do this, we had students utilize scratch board. Scratch board is an interesting medium, in that it’s already covered in dark pigment. In order to make marks on it, an artist has to scratch into it using a drawing needle to reveal the white underneath. This makes it perfect for inverting the way people usually think about drawing. Instead of making dark marks on a white surface, students had to make white marks on a black surface. This presented a challenge in two ways. First, students had never used scratch board before, so it was a new, sometimes scary, adventure. At times, it was more akin to printmaking than drawing, due to the etching nature of the technique involved in mark making. Secondly, it required a mental shift that students had to grapple with. This mental shift in focusing on what’s absent, instead of what’s present is again, the point of the series. If we continue to think about drawing in the same way we always have, we’ll never be the kind of artist we can yet grow to be.

A charcoal drawing created from an upside-down childhood photo that a student brought from home.

In our third class, students brought a childhood photo from home and attempted to draw it upside down. This class focused on relationships between lines and points in the photo. The philosophical underpinning of the class remains one that rejects a separate approach to different drawings based upon their subject matter. In other words, in this class we don’t believe there’s one way to draw dogs and another way to draw people. This is a class that believes there’s one way to draw anything and everything, and that’s accomplished by focusing on drawing elements of the model or subject matter in the correct size and position to other elements. This is called focusing on the relationships in the drawing, and this is precisely why students are asked to draw their pictures upside-down. If they focus on mastering the relationships in their photo and transferring that into their drawings, then their drawings should be nearly identical to their photos once they turn them right-side up, and that’s precisely what we saw happen! Take the drawing above for example. Many people may not have guessed that that drawing was created by looking at a photo of a young kid upside down. It’s that good, and that was accomplished, not by some great level of talent, but rather, by focusing on the basic principle of mastering the relationships present in the source photo.

Students drawing self-portraits using bright lights, a mirror, and white colored pencils on black paper.

For the final class, students focused on practically the most important element of any important artwork: the lights and shadows! Students spent time getting used to drawing with their pencils or normal paper, but gradually transitioned to drawing on black paper using white conte or colored pencil. This exercise shares similarities with the negative space exercise from the second class, but it differs in that its less about space and more about light, which is present on positive spaces. Some students found it hard to not use their white colored pencils in the same way they were using standard graphite pencils. This was an easy mistake for students to make. However, it was one that was important to break free from. To do this, I asked students to use their colored pencils, not as a writing utensil, but a painting one - I wanted them to use it like they would a paintbrush! This meant using it to build up their drawings sculpturally, instead of linearly, and that was a big ask, but one that students dared to answer anyways with varying levels of success.

Some drawings from the class.

Overall, the class series was a success. We were able to build interest in the second offering of this course, and the students walked away knowing they now had the tools to further develop their ability to draw anything and everything.

I’d like to thank all of the students that came out to the classs. Some of them were my personal training clients at the gym that have heard me talk about Gallery 86 between working sets for years now. Others were partner artists from the neighborhood that just love opportunities to remain plugged in and involved with the space, and we thank them for it. We also want to thank the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture for funding the class series through the ArtsActivate grant. It is with their help and generosity that we were able to, not only subsidize costs for our students, but also build the tables, easels, and stools that future students will use for years to come. A special thank you to our student, Sitaram, as well, for providing delicious snacks for the last class of the cohort. He recognizes, as I do, that this class series was just as much about community, as it was about drawing. A big thank you to all involved. - Juan

Hispanic Heritage Month Exhibition

Folklórico dancers performing at the Hispanic Heritage Month event.

Artist and co-founder, Juan Castillo, was invited to curate the annual Hispanic Heritage Month show at Dallas City Hall. As curator, Castillo selected works from artists familiar to the gallery, including co-founder Nicolas Gonzalez, Hermila Cuevas, and Jesus Alba (iAM450). The works touched on issues of immigration and indigenous representation. The show is on display from September 19th to October 16th of 2024.

Artist and co-founder, Juan Castillo, curated the paintings for the Hispanic Heritage show.

Gonzalez’s work is part of a series of cactus figures that detail the process of immigration for many undocumented immigrants of Mexican descent.

Cuevas’s work is a juxtaposition of ancient indigenous imagery rendered with modern technology.

Alba’s work is situated squarely within the Mexican American cultural landscape, depicting Frida Kahlo reverently, and a burning city, perhaps the burning of Tenochtitlan, with bemusement.

A perspective view of the curated paintings.

The Gallery would like to thank Arts Commissioner Tamitha Curiel for her consistent support, the Office of Arts and Culture, and Dallas City Hall staff for their help with the exhibition. A big thanks is also owed to Pleasant Grove artists who are either from the area or simply work in the area. Gallery 86’s work to grow the arts in low-income communities, starting with Pleasant Grove, would not be possible without their contribution.

A Painter's Experience

Some of Gallery 86’s first art students during a group meeting.

Gallery 86 inaugurated its arts education offerings with a series of painting workshops led by co-founder, Nicolas Gonzalez. Gonzalez was awarded an ArtsActivate grant through the City of Dallas’s Office of Arts and Culture to lead a class of students through the creation of a painting, starting with stretching a canvas on a frame. The classes culminated with a student art show open to the general public.

Students participating in a group critique.

The students met weekly on Saturdays to learn about the elements and principles of art, as well as basic design concepts. They also learned how to put these principles into practice with plenty of time to paint. The series also included class critiques, which taught students how to evaluate artwork and comment on pieces constructively.

Students listening to their peer explain their artwork.

The workshops were well received, with many students expressing a desire for continued workshops to be offered at the studio. Families were also supportive, as they recognize the intellectual and emotional growth available to their students through the study and practice of art and artmaking.

The original promotional flyer for the workshops.

A few of our first students by some of the created artwork.

This marks the beginning of many arts education offerings planned at the art studio with more to come in the following months. Gallery 86 would like to thank the Office of Arts and Culture for the support, and we look forward to continuing to grow the arts in Pleasant Grove by expanding our arts education offerings.

Pleasant Grove Art Quest 2024

Visitors viewing and discussing the collective works presented around the theme of “The Fall of the Mexica Empire.”

Aurora Dallas, the engaging arts and technology group that hosts the Dallas Biennial, approached Gallery 86 about partnering up to host Art Quest in Pleasant Grove. Art Quest is an art scavenger hunt created by Aurora to bring art directly into underserved communities. They partner with local organizations to plan and host the event in various Dallas neighborhoods, which this year included Pleasant Grove, South Dallas, and Bachman Lake. This partnership presented Gallery 86 with an opportunity to continue to grow and expand the arts in Pleasant Grove.

Visitors viewing Chloe Curiel’s engaging video piece “Womb.”

Local artists from the neighborhood were recruited to display their work, including, Hermila Cuevas, Juan Castillo, Jesus Alba, Evelyn Almaraz, Nicolas Gonzalez, Viktor, Javier Riojas, Lucina Montañez, Amy Zapien, and Chloe Curiel. Tina Medina was commissioned to present Pandemic Pachanga as the highlighted piece of the show. The work included a fast-forwarded lengthy video of Medina exercising to cumbia music in the midst of the covid pandemic.

A viewer taking a business card for Motcy Designs (Lucina Montañez), the jewelry maker of the popular work on the wall.

The event also included an indigenous Aztec dance presentation as well as local food vendors that sold tacos and brisket sandwiches.

Indigenous Aztec dancers performing for invited guests and community members in the outdoor parking area of Gallery 86.

The English version of the promotional flyer

Co-founder Juan Castillo discussing a work of art to an Aurora Board Member and invited guest.

Gallery 86 would like to thank Aurora Dallas, as well as Primos Dallas, for their incredible contribution to planning this successful and well attended event. The Gallery looks forward to continued collaboration in the future as we continue to grow the arts in Pleasant Grove.

Dia de Los Muertos 2023

An on-site Day of the Dead alter built to honor deceased loved ones.

Gallery 86 hosted a Dia de los Muertos event and student art show in partnership with the School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove, as well as the Young Women’s STEAM Academy at Balch Springs Middle School. Furthermore, the Gallery applied for funding and was awarded the Culture of Value grant from the Dallas Office of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.

A featured student artist proudly posing next to her artwork on display.

Administrators and educators from both schools installed student artwork to display during the event and families visited the studio to see the work their young artists had created for the Day of the Dead. Educators also created a Day of the Dead alter to honor any deceased loved ones. Visitors were encouraged to leave notes and momentos of their loved ones at the alter for the duration of the show.

Visitors admiring some of the artwork on display.

Visitors were surprised to learn of Gallery 86’s presence in the neighborhood, as the Pleasant Grove community has very few arts offerings. Families were supportive of the work the Gallery was doing to grow and promote the arts in Pleasant Grove, and they were especially receptive to future plans that included art classes and other art shows.

Community members talking about the artwork on display.

Most of the artwork on display featured motifs that are common to Day of the Dead imagery, including the sugar skull. Mediums used included graphite and tempera paint. Most students were guided by their teachers to personalize their images, so each individual piece offered glimpses into the personality of their artist.

The Day of the Dead alter built on-site at the gallery.

Vendors were also invited to participate in the event. Lucky’s Tacos was on-site to make and sell tacos on demand. The ever popular, Me Enloteces, was also on-site to sell cups of corn. Exotic Leaves and Beans was also present, selling their unique and refreshing teas.

Food vendors on-site for the student art show.

The show also included a collaborative sculpture created by co-founder, Nicolas Gonzalez, named Tree of Life. The students, with the help of their teachers, created hundreds of origami butterflies at school and delivered them to the studio. Gonzalez took these butterflies, each representing a lost loved one, and arranged them in the shape of a tree. The tree was inspired by the Mayan tree of life, and it purposefully extended from the ground to the ceiling, to represent the transcendent journey of their loved ones that had passed on.

A close up view of the butterflies that make up the Tree of Life.

During the event, visitors were encouraged to take a butterfly and add it to the sculpture to represent a specific loved one that had passed on. Visitors took their time adding to the sculpture throughout the event, with each visitor taking their time to contemplate their contribution to the work.

The promotional flyer for the event.

Brothers of Sigma Lambda Beta posing in front of the collaborative Tree of Life sculpture.

This event marked the first public event hosted at the physical location of Gallery 86. The community response was positive and encouraging. The Gallery would like to thank the administrators and educators of both schools for approaching the group for a collaboration, especially Louis Sanchez. The Gallery would also like to thank Dallas’s Office of Arts and Culture, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts for funding this event.

Cholo-scurio: An AI Art Exhibition

Co-founder Juan Castillo posing with community members that came to enjoy to artwork and listen to the art talk.

Co-founder Juan Castillo was awarded an ArtsActivate grant through the City of Dallas’s Office of Arts and Culture to present an artist talk about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in art, as well as create five pieces of AI artwork. The pieces included scenes inspired by life growing up in Pleasant Grove in the late ‘90s and 2000s. They included scenes of a sniper aiming a rifle through an apartment window, and a SWAT officer brandishing his weapon indoors on Christmas eve. The name of the show, “Cholo-scurio,” is derived from “chiaroscurio” the hard lighting style of painting prominent in works by Caravaggio.

Community members waiting for the art talk to begin.

In his art talk, Castillo asserted that AI does not pose a threat to artists and their work. On the contrary, AI can prove to be a useful tool in the creation of concept art for use in creative consultations before the commission of paid artwork. Subsequently, Castillo went on to demonstrate what programs to use to create AI art, as well as how to craft a productive prompt. He also detailed how AI art works, and how it can be modified without complete loss of the artwork.

Original promotional flyer for the event.

The projecting space used to present the artist talk on AI.

Gallery 86 looks forward to continuing to grow the arts in Pleasant Grove through continued arts offerings, including art classes and additional art shows in the near future. We’d like to further thank community members for the continued support, as well as Arts and Culture Commissioner Tamitha Curiel, and Priscilla Rice for their consistent belief in the work we do.

Legacy Show (Online Only): Celebration & Reflection

Celebration & Reflection is a show dedicated to the many sides of the human spirit. Whether defined by looking to one's roots for a source of joy and celebration, or looking to moment's of overcoming obstacles for a sense of pride, this show includes pieces for all viewers.

Please email us at info@gallery86.org to inquire about purchasing works from Danny Smith or Antonio Sierra.

Legacy Show (Online Only): Race & Nationality

Home: Meditations on Race and Nationality, the title of the gallery’s second show, alludes to the role race and nationality play in our understanding of home. Differing concepts of home contribute to cultural tensions, which are experienced both privately and publicly. Artists interpreted the theme of the show individually. Some focused on American nationality, personal experiences, or macro-scale, abstract concepts. Others still decided to deal with the theme in a more direct way by addressing the 2016 US presidential election and its aftermath. Ultimately, the pieces explore the limits of our principles and values, race, religion, shared experiences, and history, in binding seemingly disparate groups under a common label.

Legacy Show (Online Only): New Beginnings

New Beginnings, the title of the gallery’s first show, is a double entendre. It refers to both the beginning of the art gallery, and is also an homage to the April 4th founding of Sigma Lambda Beta, the nation’s largest Latino-based fraternity, of which all Gallery 86 founders are members. Works span many media, including traditional painting, charcoal drawing, and digital. The pieces touch upon themes of failure, resurgence, immigration, nostalgia, and rebirth. In all works, the artists reveal a part of themselves as they explore the rite-of-passage that is embarking upon an unknown future, while drawing strength from experiences past.

In honor of the founding of Sigma Lambda Beta, 10% of all sales through April 30th will be donated to the Sigma Lambda Beta Education Foundation to be applied toward undergraduate scholarships. Also, in light of the proposed elimination of the National Endowment of the Arts, we will send a letter of support for the arts to the White House any time you support our artists and buy a piece of work (limit one letter per buyer).