Neither Celso Dalisay Jr. nor Linda Neely anticipated their chance meeting in an art class would lead to an exhibit at Sacramento State.

Both artists, who met in art professor Evri Kwong’s beginning drawing class, became interested in art at an early age. Collectively, their experiences range from beginning art classes to drawing to costume design to tattooing. After seeing each other’s art, they decided to create a collaborative art exhibit.

“I became really interested in what (Linda) does. It was almost the exact opposite of what I was doing,” said Dalisay, junior art major. “I thought putting together an art show would be interesting.”

Fast-forward to present day, when both artists are eagerly awaiting the opening of their art exhibit, “Organic Humanity,” which begins Monday.

“I’m pretty excited about (the exhibit),” said Neely, senior art major. “This art is different than what I’ve done in the past, and I think a lot more people are going to come see it intentionally,”

Dalisay and Neely’s art have common elements and roots. Dalisay started out and continues to draw portraits of his friends, family and role models; Neely shifted from portraits of familiar faces to uncovering shadowy shapes in her canvases.

The art Neely produced for the “Organic Humanity” exhibit makes up the “organic” half. She begins by covering her drawing surface entirely in charcoal and then erasing until the image appears. Whether the piece turns into something earthly or something human depends entirely on what she sees hiding in the depths of her paper.

“My art is very hard to describe,” Neely said. “You could say it was totally surrealistic or abstract. I really like doing it because it’s a lot like what you did in kindergarten, it’s not planned at all. I scribble all over a piece of paper and then go back over it with an eraser until the shapes start to appear. I say, “Oh, that looks like a dragon,’ and then it turns into a dragon. It’s all very intuitive.”

Much of Neely’s art is filled with monochromatic scenes that look as though they could be of a dank cave or a vine-covered jungle passage. There are a few human elements, though not nearly as many that appear in her co-exhibitor’s work.

Dalisay’s drawn and painted portraits make up the “humanity” of their joint art exhibit. He began drawing portraits of his friends and family members, and he continues to draw the important people in his life.

“One of my favorite pieces that will be at the exhibit is a portrait of my dad,” Dalisay said. “It was very difficult for me to do because it was in a new medium for me, oil (paint), but I was able to pull it off to some success.”

Although Dalisay’s favorite subject is family, not all of his pictures contain the visages of his loved ones.

“I like drawing some of the celebrity characters that have had an impact on me. I practice with the martial arts club here at Sac State, and some of my drawings are of important role models to me, like Jet Li and Donnie Yen,” Dalisay said.

Despite the contrast between Neely’s abstract scenes and Dalisay’s fully representational reality, both artists’ work remains cohesive with their similar mediums and minimal use of color. Though most of her work is just black charcoal on white paper, Neely began to use colored pastels because “people really respond to color and I want to use more of it in the future,” she said.

Neely and Dalisay’s art makes for an intriguing alternative to the traditional portraits and standard landscapes found in most galleries. Dalisay said there is a possibility of more shows in the future.

“Right now, it’s just the one exhibit together,” Dalisay said. “Who knows what could happen later?”

Alexandra Poggione can be reached at [email protected]