Hot and Dusty Art Exhibit Enters Its Final Week

By NICK YAMASHITA

Moapa Valley Progress

The Hot and Dusty Fine Art Invitational art show is winding down its month-long exhibit at the Lost City Museum in Overton. Last weekend Meet the Artist events were held for renown wildlife artist Nancy Glazier and Las Vegas dynamo Gig Depio.

Glazier was highlighted on Saturday. She is known for a body of realistic wildlife paintings including elk, deer, lions and much more. But for the Hot and Dusty Art Invitational, Glazier produced something in quite a new style. “Nautical Buffalo” shows a more abstract style. But it still featured remarkable wildlife. It exhibits a sense of vibrance, intensity and of course, remarkable creativity.

Glazier also created a painting in person while at the Lost City Museum last week. This work also displayed her new style with a splendid image of a horse with a “stare-down” flair. Glazier stated that her new style of painting started leaking out in her other artwork while she was painting.
“It is more me,” she explained about her incredible new style.

Glazier’s featured piece had hidden images and meanings. The most apparent image is the head of a buffalo. But at closer examination the “Nautical” part of the title comes into view. Hidden images of sails, coral reef and fish appear within view. Several attendants stated it was “truly an inspired masterpiece”.

Glazier was deeply honored to be featured in this art show. “It is great for a town to have,” she said.
Glazier, who resides locally here in the valley, originally hails from Salt Lake City but has lived in Caspar, Wyoming as well as Southern California. She has been doing artwork her whole life and has been professionally selling artwork since she was in high school.

She has worked different jobs but most recently she works as a food formulator for different companies. She works mainly for Lykanto which includes creating recipes for chocolate bars, cake mixes and more, all of which are sugar free.

Glazier recited that she got into food formulation about 10 years ago due to being pre-diabetic. The act of creating recipes helps formulate the creativity needed in her artwork, Glazier said.

Glazier does not currently sell her artwork. She still paints but for pure joy and the love of being improvisational with her talent of depicting wildlife in both her old way and new.

On Sunday, international famed artist Gig Depio was in attendance at the museum. Depio is best known locally for his vibrant mural at the Overton Community Center depicting Moapa Valley culture and history. He is a well-travelled and well-known artist who has been featured in art shows throughout the world. Depio moved to the United Stated in the year 2000 from his native Philippines. But he has resided in San Jose, Boston and now, Las Vegas.

Depio’s love of history is what characterizes his artwork. Historical references are found everywhere. Depio feels a deep connection to Moapa Valley and loves its history. He also admires how much little towns have to offer, especially in creativity and culture.

Depio’s piece for the show was titled “Cool Water” and was a tribute to the retro and “Americanized” western movies and entertainment. It featured cowboys such as Roy Rogers, Bob Nolan and more. It even has Kermit the Frog playing the banjo.

Named Cool Water for the song of the same name, it at first appears to be an etching. But a closer inspection reveals that it is actually an oil painting. Also present in the painting are historical references of mining, “Sons of Pioneers”, Nevada (especially Las Vegas), and “Americanized” culture.

Depio remembered the influence American society had on him and his home in the Philippines. “The schools were too Americanized,” he recalls. “Everything was in English even the history was the English and American.”

Depio spoke about how there was no history about the Spanish influence or Filipino history taught to them. When it came to entertainment such as movies, it was the old wild west that were shown and watched.

The Hot and Dusty Fine Art show will finish up its month-long run with artist Tammy Symons on August 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.