RonnieAdventure #0090 - "The Journey" by Roy Purcell, Mohave County, Arizona

Roy Purcell was an unknown artist until 1967 when he painted “The Journey,” which contains symbols and imagery of Native American and World Mythology. “The Journey” is painted on canyon rocks located in the Cerbat Mountains near Chloride, Arizona. Since 1967 Purcell has created a large body of art works in various media, including watercolor, oil, pastel, ink, acrylic and pencil to express the world around him.

Before painting “The Journey” Purcell had been pursuing his Master’s degree in Creative Writing and Fine Arts and working as a miner to support himself. However, after completing “The Journey,” Purcell said: “I could no longer hide from myself. I had begun a journey of self-discovery from which I could never turn back.” He then accepted a job as the Director of the Mojave Museum of History and Arts in Kingman (Arizona), where he started doing etchings that would become his trademark. Purcell then moved to Las Vegas to become Director for the Southern Nevada Museum in Henderson and four years later he started working solely as a freelance artist.

In the early 1980s Purcell completed a number of monumental projects, which included the world’s largest engraving (“The Christ Light”) for the First Presbyterian Church in Las Vegas. He then went on to jointly create the “Bridge for Peace” project with the University of Nevada, State of Nevada, University of Tel Aviv, and the governments of Israel and Egypt; however, the governments of Israel and Egypt dropped their involvement before the project was finished due to tensions in the Middle East. The Nevada phase of the project was completed in 1984.

In the 1990s Purcell used his diverse talent and experience to help design the Atlantis Resort Hotel & Casino in Reno (Nevada) and then in 1997 he created a limited edition of etchings called the “Journey to Zion,” depicting the Mormon’s journey to the Salt Lake Valley. Following the “Journey to Zion” series, he created a 25 series of etchings depicting major episodes of Jewish history.

Roy Purcell is currently working on a series of etchings dealing with the Native American Legacy and their message for today’s world. His artwork can be found in museums around the world and in many private and corporate collections.