The Pahrump Art Gallery celebrated its second year with an open house on Dec. 13.
The event kicked off with varied-media demonstrations by local artists, followed by drawing contests and raffles.
The open house showcased a large selection of two-dimensional art ranging from oil, watercolor and pastel depictions to mixed media note cards and jewelry. The gallery also awarded popularity vote prizes of $75 to Marilyn Raquepau and $50 to Mike Wakefield, for their original winter-themed works of art.
The non-profit organization shares space with The Chapter Two used-books store at 601 East St., located north of the Pahrump Public Library. The bookstore operation benefits the library with book sales, while Art Gallery members staff the store several days per week.
The artists, all local, rotate bookstore shifts during store operation hours as part of cooperative arrangement which helps to promote the sale of member art.
One of the founding directors, Princella Simonsen, said the gallery was founded as an offshoot of the Spring Mountain Art Guild via the Pahrump Arts Council, of which many of the Pahrump Art Gallery members also belong.
The founding members desired to have a space where they could exhibit their original artwork for sale locally, she said. “Art is a hard sell in the biggest of cities, in the best of economies. But, we are artists and we want to be thought of as artists and exhibit our work,” Simonsen said.
A struggle for Pahrump’s art community, Simonsen said, is public awareness of the gallery and opportunities that exist for accomplished and beginner artists.
Lifetime memberships at the Pahrump Art Gallery are available for $25. Artist members can choose to exhibit on a three-month rotational basis for an additional fee.
For a list of upcoming events, including classes in a variety of mediums and featured exihibits visit www.pahrumpartgallery.com or contact Simonsen at 775-537-7958.