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CHRIS KOHLI ARTWORK ON DISPLAY

Though his life was tragically ended in a fire earlier this year, Pandora-native Chris Kohli’s artwork will live on through an art gallery exhibit titled "Chris Kohli: A Celebration of His Life and Art," at Bluffton University Aug. 25-Sept. 23 in the Grace Albrecht Gallery in Sauder Visual Arts Center. Gallery hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and 1-5 p.m. weekends. A reception will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Sept. 10. For more information, contact Phillip Sugden at 419-422-0498 or 419-358-3263.

A budding artist who studied for several years under two master artists, Kohli painted portraits and still-life compositions out of his studio and apartment, both located in downtown Findlay, Ohio. In the early hours of Feb. 12, a fire broke out in the two-story office building where Kohli lived on the second floor. Kohli and another man were killed in the fire, and a third victim passed away on March 21.

Phillip Sugden, assistant professor of art at Bluffton University, was a friend of Kohli’s for 22 years and said the two spent a lot of time together in Kohli’s studio, which was closely situated to Sugden’s. Sugden, along with the help of Gregg Luginbuhl, fellow professor of art at Bluffton, has tracked down more than 40 of Kohli’s painted works to display in his honor. "This is just the second exhibit of Chris’ work and his first retrospective," said Sugden. "We’ll display some of his landscapes, still life and portraits as well as his early schoolwork. We’ve included the very last painting he was working on that a firefighter saved from the apartment." The exhibit will also include letters that Kohli wrote to friends, which include writings on his personal struggles and his views on life, and photos of Kohli.

A limited edition print of Kohli's piece titled "Crosswords" will be available for purchase for $20. The proceeds from the sale of the print will go toward the Chris Kohli Memorial Artist Scholarship Fund, a fund Sugden set up for high school seniors in Findlay or Pandora who plan to attend college and major in art.

Jill A. Duling, public relations office, 8/24/06