SPECIAL TO THE PVT Sharon Schafer. long-time artist and conservationists, marries her love of art and concern for southwestern Nevada in a presentation at 3 p.m., March 15 at the Shoshone Museum. Pictured here are examples of her work. They will be discussed in the multi-media presentation, "The Art nof Nature: Images from the Wildlands of Southern Nevada" on Saturday. Advertisement

Sharon Schafer's relationship with the Southwest is as long as a lifetime. She originally became a wildlife biologist in order to work preserving the Southwest United States she had grown to love as a child.

After working in the field of biology in northeastern California, she realized something was missing in her life. That thing was her art.

She opened and ran an art gallery in Las Vegas for 10 years, before deciding that although she was devoting herself to art, she had no time left to enjoy the wilderness she loved so much.

In 2000 she decided to effectively have her cake and eat it too. She began dedicating her time entirely to art and the interpretation that promotes wildland conservation.

Schafer's specialty is an art form and expresses it in a way that marries art and science together.

She works in various media types, including photography, painting, sketches, pencil sketches and graphic design. Her subjects are natural, and animals are a favorite. From birds to wild cats or mountain sheep, she has captured them all in her work. Scenic landscapes are sometimes cropped to maximize the drama of the view.

Schafer spent nine months visiting and experiencing nine separate wilderness areas in Southern Nevada gathering images to represent the areas depicted in the show.

When she visits the wilderness areas, she takes a notebook with her to record her experiences and takes photos of the objects she intends to model later. Back at her studio in Boulder City, she can convert the photos to sketches and then paintings.

Among the different areas she visited while gathering subject matter and inspiration were Mt. Charleston Wilderness Area, Red Rock Canyon and Wee Thump Wilderness Area, which is eight miles west of Searchlight. In some areas she spent several days and in others she visited briefly, but the impact the visits made on her is profound.

Since she took nature as her artistic subject, she has done interpretive art for many local area visitor centers including Mt. Charleston and Red Rock Canyon. The artwork for the Amargosa Conservancy logo is her creation and donation to the organization.

Her most recent exposition at the prestigious Nevada State Museum in Las Vegas, is an attempt to transport the viewer into the wilderness through a multi-media presentation. "The Art of Nature: Images From the Wildlands of Southern Nevada" combines the artist's dialog with music, visual images and traditional art forms to create an experience of nature in Nevada.

On March 15 at 3 p.m., Schafer will present "The Art of Nature" at the Shoshone Museum. The show is free, but all donations will go to the Shoshone Museum and Amargosa Conservancy. The conservancy was formed as an effort to promote awareness and preserve the fragile habitat of the Amargosa River Basin.

Each set of images in the presentation is precluded by Schafer's commentary and accompanied by music. Each lasts four to five minutes. The total show will last about an hour.

Schafer hopes her work "helps people to realize there's a lot out there, a lot of different animals and really amazing scenery." She would like her work to influence people to value the desert wildlife more and promote conservation.

For more information about Sharon Schafer, visit her Web site www.skydancestudio.com.