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January 27, 2006
CULTURAL AFFAIRS Tecopa art group focuses on Amargosa desert's lightFROM SCULPTURE TO POETRY TO PAINTINGS - COMMUINTY GALLERY HAS SOMETHING FOR ALL
By ROBIN FLINCHUM
To that end, the group is preparing to debut a new show on Sunday called "The Figure in the Desert." The gallery, housed in one of the buildings at Noel's Tecopa Hot Springs Resort, shows the works of celebrated artists such as Mark Hamlin, who has been painting the light on the Death Valley landscape for 30 years, Southern Nevada Community College of Pahrump art instructor Donna Yarrell, Pahrump artist and former co-proprietor of the Artist's Studio in Shoshone Mary King, and pit-fired clay pots made of local clay by Jennifer Viereck of Tecopa. Many of the same artists will participate in the new show, but will submit works focusing on some variation of the theme. These will include artist interpretations of the human figure as well as any other kind of figure found in the desert, said participant Donna Yarrell. The Group also plans to offer a daylong figure drawing workshop at the gallery in the near future, Yarrell said. Another component of the gallery exhibit is an installation of interior design work by Cynthia Keinitz of the Ranch House Inn Bed and Breakfast at China Ranch in Tecopa. Keinitz's design work in Las Vegas's Mediterranean Café won recognition last year. The Tecopa Basin Artist Group, said Noel, is "very loosely organized. We've come together to support each other and share the experience, and also to give people coming here a chance to see how artists experience living here." Noel said the group hoped to bring local artists to the attention of more visitors with the hope of gaining momentum to create more art-centered events such as workshops and field trips. The Group covers the Amargosa Valley region and includes the Goldwell Open Air Museum near Rhyolite outside of Beatty, as well as several local writers and poets. "The idea had been floating around out here for a long time," said Noel, before the Group finally coalesced last fall. "There's a lot going on out here. The area is attractive to artists because the light is amazing and the vast open spaces are inspiring. Being here makes you feel different." The Group and the community gallery were established in order to "bring our desert experience to art-minded visitors" in the region, said Noel. In addition to an Art Walk program, in which local artists open their studios to the public on set days, and plans for poetry readings and art workshops, the Group is also considering the idea of holding a Chautauqua-style living history presentation to bring some of the local history to life. So far, traffic through the gallery is minimal, said Frank King, photographer and former co-proprietor of the Artist's Studio in Shoshone who participates in the Group. The Tecopa location has been quiet this winter, with overall visitation to the area lower than it has been in recent memory. But even so, King said, an Art Walk held in conjunction with Shoshone's Old West Days celebration in November brought quite a few visitors, and the gallery has sold several pieces including pottery, paintings, and books. King said the Group plans to improve visitation through advertising and distribution of brochures. Other plans include the opening of a restaurant on the premises by David Washum, known for his popular Café Cest Si Bon in Shoshone. For more information about the Tecopa Basin Artist's Group, gallery hours and upcoming events, call (760) 852-4420. |
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