The collage of small, exquisite paintings that make up the title piece will be sold individually, for $10 each. Selinda Sheridan and Mineral are pleased to donate 100% of the proceeds from this work to support the Nativity House art program. The show runs Feb. 17 through March 26 at 301 Puyallup Ave. in Tacoma's Dome District (253.250.7745). The artist's large works on paper will also be available for purchase.

In 2004, Nativity House had newly opened, and the art center “was the best room in the house,” says Sheridan. “From the beginning, the room hummed with activity. The variety, vividness and sheer energy of the work created there was amazing. I let the artists set their own agendas. Some used all the canvas and acrylics we had on hand to bring their visions to the light of day. Others used the space to mend backpacks, clothing, and glasses with the tools we kept on hand. Some folks discovered that the relatively quiet space helped them 'draw' their way through stress and intense emotional experiences.”

In 2006, the works produced in the art room resulted in an acclaimed exhibition at the Critical Line gallery in Tacoma, curated by Michael Lent. Several pieces sold benefitting the artists – some of whom continued creating art at the drop-in shelter. During Sheridan's tenure, Nativity House received a grant for art supplies – paints, inks, quality pencils, watercolor papers and more. Sometimes guests would leave excess paint on blending palettes where it would dry: “I could not bear to see any go to waste so I started picking up leftover paint, [blotting it] with bits of paper.” She saved the postcard-size papers, and began drawing around the Rorschach-type blots. Eventually, she produced more than 100 individual small works, many of which suggest topographical maps, and from these emerged a 2D installation, Contour Intervals*.

Selinda Sheridan received a doctoral degree in Chinese literature from Cornell University, in 1982. After earning her degree, she took her first class in Chinese brush painting “and discovered that art, rather than academic study” was where life would lead. She is president of the Puget Sound Sumi Artists organization.

*A contour interval is the change in elevation represented by the space in-between two concentric "rings"on a topographic map. It may represent either a rise or a decrease in elevation. The phrase suggests many ideas, including the structure underlying music, the dynamism of a painting, the rhythm of a conversation, and the topography of the nine circles in Dante's Inferno.