Convergence

Louis Copt, the man in black, converses with Gary Clarke, Director Emeritus of the Topeka Zoo, at Convergence, a show that opened last night at the Sabatini Gallery in the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library. The show runs through Sept. 3. (You can view a video walk-through of the exhibit on that Convergence link.)

Convergence is the work of three area artists: Louis Copt, the painter; Jim Brothers, sculptor; and Daniel Coburn, photographer.

Louis Copt grew up next to the Flint Hills here in Emporia. He’s well known for his Flint Hills prairie fire paintings, but he also paints non-burning landscapes, as well as figures and collages. In 2005, I visited Louis at his studio and wrote two columns: Louis Paints Kansas and A Day in the Life.

A piece of Jim Brothers’ work. He’s created at least 16 pieces for the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA. Brothers works out of Lawrence, but he’s originally from Eureka. And here’s one of Jim Brothers’ pieces in El Dorado. (Endangered Species is also in the Convergence show.)

Dan Coburn’s Physiognomy Experiment is an interactive installation. It looks weird and a little scary, but he was investigating the faces of torment to better understand the mental illnesses that many people suffer from. He took self-portraits to mimic portraits he found of patients taken years ago in a mental asylum.

Dan Coburn has some incredible Kansas landscapes also – large black-and-whites that create a powerful impact. This one is called “Linear Flood.” Dan Coburn spoke to the Emporia Camera Club in November 2008: Dan Coburn, Photographer.

It’s a great show, lots of pieces of art, a pleasing variety of styles and shapes and colors from three Kansas Artists.

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