Review

"Winter Wheat," Silver Gelatin Print.

Daniel W. Coburn
Between Earth and Sky 

11 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Hilliard Gallery
1820 McGee St.
Kansas City, MO
816.561.2956 

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays and First Friday opening receptions.
Runs through: May 30. 

Artist's site: http://www.danielwcoburn.com
Gallery site: http://www.hilliardgallery.com 

Daniel W. Coburn's black-and-white photographs are saturated with the details of the natural world. Every sunflower petal, every stalk of wheat, every ... 

Wait a minute. 

The only thing natural about that is the process by which seeds become sprouts and sprouts become crops. Each of the works in Between Earth and Sky, which opened last night at Hilliard Gallery in the East Crossroads, is a testament to human intrusion and influence. 

Some of it is obvious: The sinuous curves of an interstate highway, the rusty dignity of an old car or the prickly angularity of a barbed wire fence. But the Winter Wheat (pictured above), the sunflowers, even the cottonwood trees are all either imports or domesticated wild plants. Before the settlers came along, this part of the world presented only grass and sky to the awestruck eye. 

I began my creative journey as a witness to the awesome power and beauty of nature, Coburn writes. As my work has evolved, I've begun to focus on the impact of a human presence on the landscape. Seeking out man-made structures and incursions, I attempt to create dynamic compositions that beautifully combine the artifacts of a human presence with the looming presence of nature. These photographs are seldom a literal representation of a place or event. Rather, these images are my own artistic interpretation of the scene. 

I concentrate on contrast, lighting, and form, searching for the scene or landscape that truly lends itself to the black and white media.

Coburn generally favors a high-contrast approach with a deep field of clarity. Each stalk and petal stands out as though etched (an observation made by a friend at last night's opening). He also favors sweeping views over narrow ones, and makes the sky — often punctuated by clouds — a major player in many of his shots.

It is a lot of information to take in ... but for a son of southwest Kansas, all that information points to one word:

Home.

And if every other viewer takes home a different impression ... well, in the art world there's nothing more natural than that.