RENO ARTIST’S WORK DROPS THE CURTAIN ON 2019 LEGISLATIVE GALLERY

Reno artist Patricia Wallis has a background in plein air and aerial painting, having spent much of her 30-year career in Marin County, California. Moving to Reno, she found a completely new palette of color in the landscape. Another change she made in in the past decade was a decision to work exclusively on copper, which gives the image a unique luminescence not found when working on canvas or board. Oil painting on copper goes back to the 15thcentury although it is rarely used by contemporary artists.

Wallis’ exhibition, “Bits and Pieces of the Silver State,” are the latest works from Nevada artists to go on display at the Nevada Arts Council’s Legislative Exhibition Series (LXS) inside the Nevada Legislature building and will be featured through the end of the session. She is the last of six Nevadans whose artwork is being displayed during this legislative session.

Wallis described her approach to painting like this: “I express my reaction to what is before me,” she said. “I usually focus on some detail that has captured my attention, such as an unusual composition, a graceful sweeping shadow or a color that shakes my senses. My goal is to capture the essence, or spirit, of the image that I see and to communicate my emotional response on the canvas.”

Wallis graduated from Ray College of Design in Chicago, then attended the College of Marin and UC Santa Cruz. Upon graduation from Ray College of Design, she accepted a position at the institution teaching perspective and color. She has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Bronze Discovery Award from the Art of California magazine; Paramount Studios commissioned her to paint a large painting for the movie “Vanilla Sky”, starring Tom Cruise; one of her painting was featured on the book cover of Open Spaces: A Guide to the Marin County Open Space District; and she is a recipient of the Jane Gallagher Award for excellence in painting. Her work is part of the permanent collections of the American Ambassador to Singapore and the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno. Read more

To learn more about Patricia Wallis or to purchase her work go to www.patriciawallis.com.

Managed by Nevada Arts Council, the Legislative eXhibition Series (LXS) Gallery space is located on the first floor across from the Caucus Deli in the Legislative Building, 401 South Carson Street, Carson City. Since 1985, LXS has displayed artwork by 140 Nevada’s visual artists during the biennial legislative session.