Greetings from Wildflower Village!

Stop by this Saturday October 22nd from noon to six and you’ll meet not only KNPB Channel 5’s host of house with a History MJ Carr, but also five local artisans who work pottery magic.

New Photography by MJ Carr

When you meet MJ Carr, you’ll probably recognize her as host of our PBS channel’s series on interesting old homes, House with a History.

MJ has been photographing Nevada for years. She moved from the Midwest to Reno in 1999 and began capturing images that inspired her sense of beauty. Captivated by the visual fabric of the state, the people and the remnants of their past, she attempted to translate it onto a one-
dimensional plane.

“The American West,” MJ says, “has provided me with a wealth of images. The terrain changes with the shifting of the seasons and the passing of the sun. The skeletal remains of countless ghost towns offer a poignant beauty.”

You’ll be able to see her poignant, new photographic works at the Wildflower Village enultimate Saturday artists’ reception in the Open Door Gallery from noon to six.

MJ has received awards from the Nevada Magazine photo contest. She frequently travels as the staff photographer for KNPB Channel 5’s Wild Nevada, and her images are used in a variety of ways to support that series.

“As with any photographer,” Carr says, “the images that I capture are those that appeal to me. They are shapes, patterns of light and dark, found art that exists quietly in a world too often cluttered with neon. The texture, the colors, the composition -- I search for a sense of harmony.
My photographs are not complex -- and yet I would hope that one could find complexities within them.”

Wildflower Pottery

At the same time, the potters of Wildflower Village will display their new and extraordinary works. Featured artists include Mimi Patrick, John Karrasch, Dale Pappas, Paul Herman and Jill Brugler.

Born and raised in Reno, Mimi Patrick owns a pottery studio and shop, the Argenta Earth & Fire Company in Gold Hill. Potting for 34 years, Mimi concentrates on sculptural pieces, many of which she calls whimsical.

John Karrasch has been creating functional pottery for more than fifty years. He owned a shop and studio next door to Gold Hill, in Virginia City, in the 1950s. For almost 25 years following that, he had a shop in Reno on Dickerson Road. After a stint back home in St. Joseph, Missouri, Karrasch returned to northern Nevada.

Reno native Dale Pappas uses alternative firing to create various colors on his functional pottery, incorporating other things besides glazes, like salty iron, corn silk, feathers, small leaves, horse hairs and tin foil.

Paul Herman has been a professional potter for 31 years, working from his studio and kiln near Doyle, California, since 1983. He calls his style that of a “contemporary wood-firer.”

Jill Brugler’s figurative works contrast the functional work of Herman, Pappas, and Karrasch. Brugler teaches pottery at Wildflower Village, the Nevada Museum of Art and VSA Arts of Nevada.

Wildflower Penultimate Saturday Reception, Oct. 22 nd

During the October 22 nd reception from noon to 6:00, you’ll meet and mingle with MJ Carr and the Wildflower potters. Not only will your artistic soul be fed by their works, but owner Pat Campbell-Cozzi will feed your taste buds with delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks. The day will be a feast for your senses.

We’re on West Fourth Street between Johnny’s Little Italy and McCarran Boulevard. Give me a call on my cell phone (530-1551) or Pat on 827-5250 if you need directions. Just five minutes from the neon of the arch and casinos, Wildflower is a village worlds apart. The pace is peaceful, yet vibrant with art, creativity and beauty. Located on six acres alongside old U.S. Route 40 west of downtown Reno, Wildflower is blooming with artists’ creations. The Village houses two galleries featuring more than 75 artists, an espresso café, a wedding chapel, bed and breakfast rooms and motel, artists’ studios, and apartments. The Open Door Art gallery is open from noon to 6:00 seven days a week.

Please stop by this Saturday. The artists of Wildflower Village will welcome you and help you understand what we mean when we say, “May all your weeds be wildflowers!”

With wishes for wildflowers,

Carol Cizauskas
(cell phone 530-1551)