On view March 28 - April 19, 2026
Opening Reception Sunday, March 29, 2026, 1-4 pm
All four artists presented in TEXAS ART NOW: Rhythms and Myths explore and create their complimentary subjects showing views with essential senses of mystery, memory and dreams within natural and human horizons. Their creative efforts exploring the natural world are filled with interpretations of the inherent mysteries and rhythms that amplify the subconscious realm making these combinations of art a most powerful exhibition.
Featured Artists: Michael Roqué Collins, Sherry Owens, Carlos Canul, Sharon Kopriva
Collins’ art uses dreams expressing personal mythology through works that tap the viewers subconscious by suggesting cyclical patterns of destruction and entropic nature that often challenge the Western Classical traditions seen in classical architectural ruins overgrown by verdant, natural growth and these are often juxtaposed with the petrochemical world. These power struggles work within his art and function in at least three opposing forces: darkness giving way to illumination, abstraction colliding with reality, and the mythic opposing the quotidian. Verdant gardens and punitive natural forces, often referred to as being dystopian, always play a role in his energetic paintings where hope wins out over darkness. His post-symbolistic tendencies and desire for mysteries relate to the opposing forces seen in Sharon
In Kopriva’s art, there are shared connections to rhythms in nature and expressions relating to her history in the Catholic Church. Her works utilize construction methods, which combine both two and three dimensional energies to create heightened mystery emphasizing growth patterns and creation in nature. Dreams and visions also inform her art and over the decades her art has evolved from golden browns to earthen greens expressing hope. Her latest works utilize bird nests, eggs, portraits of important women, and animals as they all reflect the cycle of entropy. Both Collins and Kopriva delve into powerful compositions overrun with branch encrusted vistas that connect their unique creative voices to the sculptural energy of the art of
Owens’ usage of branches from crepe myrtle tree are woven into compositions, which present complex relationships experienced in nature and the human condition. Assembled wood branches create subject matter with poetic undertones often making commentary about human relationships, good and evil, and the larger cosmos. They transcend their wooden origins to allow for the sublime to emerge for the viewer. Her powerful sculptures limited in color allow the interconnected shapes to suggest a broader meaning of being human all the while exploring a personal mythology in her work. The impulse of using abstraction to communicate essential truths relate to the paintings of Carlos Canul. The abstract paintings and works on paper that Canul creates all carry a strong sense of mystery within natural or human affected mythology, which relates to the art of Collins, Kopriva and Owens. His complex layers of pigment applied by pooling, brushing, and scraping reveal worlds filled with subtle Mayan attributes. These focal areas are only glimpses of the possible worlds his paintings suggest. His masterful pigmentation often offers dystopian landscapes filled with warnings for our current era while suggesting the long held traditions of painting history. The complex layering of abstracted pigment enlivened through a full range of processes provides the viewer engaging rich ambiguities.
GALLERY HOURS & VISITOR INFORMATION
This exhibition will be held in the First Floor Gallery of the Evanston Art Center (EAC). Masks are optional but strongly recommended for students, visitors, and staff.
Gallery Hours
Monday–Thursday: 9am–6pm
Friday: 9am–5pm
Saturday–Sunday: 9am–4pm
HOW TO PURCHASE ARTWORK
Artwork sale proceeds benefit both the artist and the Evanston Art Center. If you are interested in purchasing artwork on display, please contact Emma Rose Gudewicz, Director of Development and Exhibitions, at [email protected] or (847) 475-5300 x 102.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council through federal funds provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Image Credits: (L) Sherry Owens ; (R) Michael Collins