Copt painting installed in Topeka boardroom

A giant painting of a prairie fire by Lawrence artist Louis Copt was installed Thursday at the new Security Benefit Building, 1 Security Benefit Place, in west Topeka.

The 5-by-12-foot painting, shown above, is “probably the largest painting I’ve done so far,” Copt said.

Security Benefit commissioned the piece last spring for a boardroom at its world headquarters. It’s a combination of several sketches based on actual photographs of field burning in the Flint Hills near Cottonwood Falls.

The Lawrence artist grew up in Emporia and has always been enthralled with the Kansas landscape.

“I worked for Maupintour for a number of years and traveled all over the world, but I always came back to Kansas and found myself refreshed going out to the Flint Hills,” he said.

‘Right Between the Ears’ to serve Yuletide yucks

George W. Bush, Winona Ryder, Dr. Phil and Martha Stewart will be among the targets of Kansas Public Radio’s “Right Between the Ears” annual holiday show.

The award-winning comedy show will be staged at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday at Liberty Hall. The 8 p.m. show will be broadcast live on KPR stations and online at http://kanu.ku.edu.

The show will include the popular “Year in Review” medley – a review of events in the past year, set to familiar Christmas carols. Also planned are spoofs of President George W. Bush’s popularity amid preparations for war with Iraq, Martha Stewart’s ongoing problems with an insider trading scandal and Winona Ryder’s shoplifting trial.

Tickets are $12 and $10 and can be purchased at Liberty Hall and Ticketmaster outlets. Credit card orders may be placed online at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (816) 931-3330.