Cyndi Loza

Local residents gathered this weekend to watch and bid on a slice of Nevada’s outdoor beauty.

Scenic Nevada’s Quick-Draw Art Auction was held Saturday at a ranch in south Reno.

The fifth annual event generated more than 100 attendants vying for open-air artwork from various artists.

Despite the wind, bugs and sun, Sparks artist Luverne Lightfoot said she enjoyed working outdoors on Saturday.

“I think you have more of a communication with nature when you’re out,” said Lightfoot, who teaches a course on landscape and oils at the Nevada Museum of Art. “The human eye can see so many more nuances than the camera.”

The premise of the event is to give the group of 28 artists an hour and half to create a piece of art outdoors, which is later auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Money raised will go directly to the organization’s mission to educate and advance the cause of scenic preservation.

This year’s art works brought in a total of $10,825, an increase from last year’s $7,975.

“As far as I’m concerned, man cannot make anything as beautiful as nature, and that’s why I’m here,” said Pat Wallis, a Reno artist. “Everybody thinks of (Nevada) as dry and dusty, but it’s really a beautiful state.”

Though the artists were constrained by a time limit, the work auctioned didn’t suffer, said Mike Callahan, 47, of Sparks.

“It doesn’t really affect the quality because you approach it looser,” said Callahan, while putting the finishing touches on his painting. “You just know you don’t have too much time to get carried away.”

Doug Smith, president of Scenic Nevada, said the event could not have materialized without the artists, who have donated their time, frame and artwork for the fundraiser.

Their attitudes also are similar to the organization’s mission, Smith said.

“They are people that really preserve and enhance the scenic structure of this state,” Smith said. “They recognize the importance of preservation “so it goes hand in hand with what we do.”