Yin Yang 4
Acrylic on gatorboard
35" x 35"

The Yin/Yang is the central image of Taoism. It represents the union of light and dark, male and female, good and bad -- in short the unity of all things, which is the central tenet of Taoism.

Yin Yang 4 is a reimagining of the classic Taijitu version of the yin-yang symbol. It retains the symbolism of two components melded to make a whole. This time, however, it appears as a colored ball floating against a nearly black background. The color pattern is structured like the seams in a tennis ball or baseball. The Yang part is warm colored and the Yin part cool. Unity is expressed by having the color shift from red on the warm side through orange, then yellow at the seam, then through green on the cool side, and finally into blue. Lighting is diffuse from behind the viewer's right shoulder, a little above center.