Two artists explore the sense of space, from intimate to infinity, in a new exhibit.

Using different mediums – creating with light and with pigments – two artists have chosen to explore space. Their work is now on display at Gallery Sur in Carmel in an exhibition called Inner Space/Outer Space.

Monica Johnson, a contemporary abstract painter, addresses the subject from the inside, using textures and brushes, depicting emotions and experiences with every stroke. Gary Lopez, an astrophotographer, looks at what’s beyond the sky, exploring the universe and photographing events that happened millions of years ago. He produces colorful abstracts.

Although Johnson and Lopez take different approaches in their art, each shares deploys layering.

Johnson’s art begins with words – quotes, uplifting aphorisms or simply journaling on the canvas. She says that’s “what sets a foundation for the piece.” From words, she expands to collages, gold leaf or sand and paint to create her pieces, and they transform as she works on them. Colors or textures can take her work in a different direction.

She calls this process “a science lab.” Johnson includes personal experiences and interactions with nature and people in her art. “I don’t always know what I’m going to paint,” Johnson adds. “So much of my work is process-driven. It’s not about the end product, and it’s very much a metaphor for life for me.”

For Lopez, every moment he is photographing space is a new adventure. He works from his home observatory with special equipment. One piece will take at least 20 hours, as the composition results from stacking thousands of images.

“We’re going at this in very different ways with the techniques we’re using,” Lopez says of the artistic approaches. “But not infrequently, we’re coming to the same place. We’re trying to make things… that just have some kind of dramatic emotional impact – that you see it and you feel something.”

Getting up close to distant galaxies is relatively new. “Exploration as a form of art has only been going on for a few years,” he explains. “So it’s fun for me, because almost everything I do is probably being done for the first time.”

INNER SPACE/OUTER SPACE opening reception 4-7pm Saturday, Aug. 10. Gallery Sur, 6th between Dolores and Lincoln, Carmel. 626-2615, gallerysur.com.

GARY LOPEZ speaks about astrophotography at 5:30-7pm Thursday, Aug. 8 at the Monterey Museum of Art.