Let's get metaphysical. That's the right frame of mind for viewing the abstract compositions in Richard Hellman's exhibit in the Himmelfarb Gallery at Tai Sophia Institute in Laurel. Indeed, "The Inner Circle: Screenprints and Etchings" has cosmic aspirations.

This Baltimore-based artist relies upon an imagistic vocabulary of astronomically evocative spirals. He also uses circles and wavy lines that you're free to metaphorically interpret in terms of everything from natural forms to the very nature of existence. By way of interpretation, the sky is, er, not even the limit here.

Hellman reinforces such broad interpretations in an accompanying artist statement:

"The power of waves in the ocean, or the movement of leaves riding a gust of wind, are for me metaphors for feelings, emotions, or one's state of being. It is what is happening 'under the surface' of things, not the outward appearance of things, that interests me most. I find that paradoxically, it is through abstraction that I get closer to reality. It is the relationship of things, not the things themselves, which life is really about."

Only a few of the exhibited screenprints directly allude to natural things you're likely to encounter in your everyday life. "Wind Over Waves" incorporates blue-hued, diagonal lines that create a sense of wind-driven waves.

Rather than being a realistic depiction of the ocean, however, this print conveys its energetic movement. Moreover, a red and yellow spiral placed above those waves serves as a reminder of the heavens above.

Hellman moves in a higher direction in the majority of prints, whose heavenly imagery is not quite what you would see through a telescope. "Pandora's Box" functions as a useful introduction of sorts to these prints, because the astral spiral at its center is surrounded by a design emulating the opened flaps on a cardboard box. Think of the universe as a gift that you've been given.

The cosmology is most overt in prints including "Just This Breath ...," in which a light gray spiral unwinds against a somewhat darker gray background. Incidentally, the title of this artwork is spelled out on the print itself. Although the artist is not exactly subtle in spelling out his thematic intentions, he actually is subtle in developing slight modulations within a mostly monochromatic palette.

For another galaxy-conjuring spiral, have a look at "Center." It's an austerely black-and-white composition calling your attention to the motion of the spiral. For a more colorful take on the subject, look at "Be." It places a red, orange and yellow spiral against a blue sky.

Planetary forms appear in "Floating," which is visually anchored by a gray-speckled planetary shape. The formation of such planets can be sensed in two prints, "In Flux" and "Matter Forming," which use assorted colors and forms to suggest cosmic creation.

All that outer-space energy certainly has explosive potential, but Hellman generally favors peaceful compositions. That's why the variously colored arcs and orbs are so well-behaved in "Cosmic Balance."

Viewers will tap into Hellman's metaphysical concerns to varying degrees, but there's no denying that he's stylistically consistent in sharing his cosmic strategy with us.

"The Inner Circle: Screenprints and Etchings" runs through Feb. 29 at the Himmelfarb Gallery at Tai Sophia Institute, 7750 Montpelier Road, in Laurel. This gallery will be closed for the holiday from Dec. 24-Jan. 2. Call 410-888-9048 or go to http://www.tai.edu.