Richard Stephens / Special to the PVT Sam Davis chats with attendees at the opening of his show at the Goldwell Museum gallery recently. The show, "Return to Desert Island," will be open to the public on weekends through Aug. 31. Advertisement

BEATTY -- "Return to Desert Island," a show of science fiction-themed photography and sculpture by Los Angeles-based artist Sam Davis, opened at the Red Barn Art Center near Rhyolite recently.

Before the opening, art and sci-fi enthusiasts gathered for an open-air screening of a sci-fi movie, much of which had been filmed in nearby Death Valley, at the Barn.

Davis, a master of fine arts graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, is a full-time instructor at the Art Center College in Pasadena, Calif.

In his photography Davis uses props and costumed models, frequently in a desert landscape, to create the look of old sci-fi cinema. Many of these works are displayed in frames that resemble portholes in the space ships in such films.

He said the desert is a place where people believe anything could happen. Many old sci-fi movies have used desert settings and "these events are totally believable in the desert," said the artist.

Davis' sculptures are simple, graceful forms mimicking rocket ships, robots, and ray guns.

He began photographing toy robots years ago just for fun, and some of them got incorporated into this series which he has been developing for the last five years.

Davis said that he has discovered that he can use the auction Web site eBay for research. Many of the sellers are collectors with a wealth of knowledge about the items he uses in his art.

The show will continue through Aug. 31 and is open Saturdays and Sundays between 8 a.m. and noon.