TRAVEL NEVADA NEWS RELEASE
CARSON CITY–In celebration of Nevada’s Great Outdoors, this year’s Nevada Day theme, naturalist Roy Purcell presents a book signing and lecture at the Nevada State Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27.
The book signing for Purcell’s beautifully illustrated text on Great Basin plants and animals, Portraits of Nature, begins at 6 p.m., followed by a lecture on the artist’s journey from 7 to 8 p.m. The program will be inspiring to artists, hikers, naturalists and all those who love the outdoors. Regular admission fees apply.
Roy Purcell could be described as a Renaissance man of great depth and diversity. Having grown up in rural Utah, he has sensitivity for the beauty of nature that is extraordinary. In fact, Purcell personifies the life that thrives in the desert: patient, intent and vigorous. Purcell has been a professional artist since 1966, when he gained national attention for The Journey, 2,000 square feet of murals on the granite cliff faces near Chloride, Ariz.
Purcell served as director for the Southern Nevada Museum in Henderson, where he continued to publish poetry and art. He became nationally known for his poignant etchings of western ghost towns and landscapes, plus symbolic depictions of Native American and world mythology.
In the late 1980s, after completing a series of monumental art projects, Purcell turned his attention inward to hone his creative skills and follow his personal spiritual journey. In the 1990s, he turned his attention primarily to wildlife and environmental concerns. Portraits of Nature, published in 2002, includes hundreds of mixed media studies of birds, butterflies, plants, mammals and reptiles. Purcell currently lives near Tucson, Ariz., where he is working on several books, including one on the history of mining in Nevada and Arizona.
The Nevada State Museum actively engages people in understanding and celebrating Nevada’s natural and cultural heritage. Due to mandatory state budget restrictions, the museum is closed Sunday to Tuesday and open from 8:30 am to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday. See the changing exhibits: My Nevada II: Nature Photography by John King, Nevada: The Photography of Cliff Segerblom, Slot Machines: the Fey Collection, and selections from the Collections. Coming soon: Kathleen Sandoval’s inaugural ball gowns! Admission: $8 for adults and free for children 17 and under and museum members. For information, call (775) 687-4810. The Nevada State Museum is one of seven managed by the state Division of Museums and History, an agency of the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs. For more information, visit the department’s website at www.TravelNevada.com.
