Art shows opening at Western Nevada College

During the day, Larry Williamson can often be found running the trails near his home and studio in Virginia City. But he doesn't just do it for his health.

"It is in this solitude that I hope to find a little mojo to put into my work," he said.

For more than 58 years, Williamson has explored the Great Basin and High Sierra, and transforms the twisted and weathered woods he finds there into imaginative and whimsical works of art.

His sculptures will be on display - along with two other exhibits - at Western Nevada College. The exhibits open Monday and runs through March 25, with a free, public reception at

6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Williamson's "Great Basin Work" ranges from raw to polished works, small carvings to life-size interpretations of the textures and life of the basin. A notable piece, "Untitled" bears the talons and feathers of a desert bird and is topped with what may be interpreted as rabbits jumping over the moon. The front depicts the scene of a Native American woman presenting a small man to two intricately carved canines.

Williamson has exhibited throughout Nevada, including the Nevada Museum of Art, Stremmel Gallery in Reno, UNR Sheppard Gallery, the Nevada State Legislature, and multiple venues in Las Vegas.

His work also has exhibited in the San Francisco Museum of Folk Art, LAX International Airport, and in Ketchum, Idaho, and Indianapolis.

In "Secreted Away," sculptor and multimedia artist Nancy Scarry takes a contemplative look at some of life's simplest elements: a door, a cup, etc.

The San Luis Obispo, Calif., artist describes in great detail the relationship one can have with a cup, the inspiration for one of her pieces.

"The cup is an object infused with the elements of daily ritual and intimacy," she said. "Every morning one has their cup of coffee, tea or chocolate. The process of selecting the cup, making the drink and cradling the cup as it is brought to your lips is quite intimate. These small events give life comfort, consistency and perhaps a bit of control."

"The Call of Memories," or "El Llamado de las Memorias," in the Atrium Gallery, explores an observation made in author Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal Dreams":"Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin."

It is a collection of poetry and prose in English and Spanish complemented with photography. Laced through each literary piece are memories. They are broadly interpreted and presented in various forms ranging from assessments of emotional and spiritual journeys to accounts of life, from descriptions of people to recollections of experiences.

The literary work comes from the college's creative writing classes, the Lone Mountain Writers group, and other Northern Nevada writers. WNC's Latino Student Club provided Spanish translations, and the photography is courtesy of the creative writing class.

This is the fourth exhibit of photographic and literary expression for the Lone Mountain Writers, and it has been dedicated to the late Bill Cowee, an acclaimed Nevada poet who extended his love of poetry to the Western Nevada College community when he donated more than 1,000 volumes of poetry to the WNC library in 2007.

WNC Carson City art galleries are in the Bristlecone Building. Hours are 8 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, call 445-3000.