Within a water drop

A Dayton artist plans to raise $200,000 for the Carson Tahoe Cancer Center by doing what he does best - paint.

He will be selling prints of his latest painting starting at $1,000 a piece.

"A View from Within" features a drop of water breaking the surface tension of Lake Tahoe. The hospital's logo is inside the water drop.

Steven Saylor, a full-time artist since 1978, is best known for his "The Heavyweights" lithograph prints that sell for $10,000 each.

When he first began selling the Virginia & Truckee Railroad-inspired paintings in 1987 they went for $400 each.

Saylor was originally commissioned by the Carson City Rotary Foundation to do 260 of the prints, which feature historic Nevada political figures crowded on the V&T platform.

Most recently he's painted U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., into the print after the senator helped secure funding for the reconstruction of the Comstock-era railway. About 12 of the prints are left. They are given to those who donate $10,000 or more to the V&T project.

He doesn't know if the "A View from Within" giclée prints will have the same type of popularity, but he does expect the value of the prints will appreciate.

"That's what's anticipated," he said. "Someone buys two and then a couple years later sells one on the market and in some cases makes a lot of money."

His "One Night at the Waldorf" lithograph prints for the University of Nevada, Reno athletic department sold for $250 in 1986. Saylor said three months ago one sold for $5,700. This painting features athletic director Chris Ault as a bartender and former UNR president Joe Crowley playing poker.

"A View from Within" deviates from a formula that proved popular for Saylor in the past. His newest 30-by-40-inch watercolor painting has no people in it. It shows a sunrise over Lake Tahoe. A series of circles radiate from the center of the water drop. Saylor said this represents the circular motif used at the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center.

"The painting is ultimately a view from within each individual who gazes upon it," he said. "Each time the viewer returns to it, like meditation or prayer, different feelings are invoked and inner peace is encouraged. I hope all who gaze upon 'A View from Within' come away with an inner calm and hope for their future."

Saylor, 58, worked on the painting for four months. Twelve of the prints will include an embellishment, such as a bird painted in the sky. Saylor was commissioned to do this piece by Carson Magazine as a gift to Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center.

"The cancer center is the next big step for the hospital and it's a needed resource," he said. "My father died of cancer and the disease touches so many lives. There is such a need. This seemed like a good way to help them generate resources to build the facility."

He said the last 10 prints will more than likely go up in value, which means more money will be raised for the cancer center.

The print can be purchased locally at Evergreen Studio, 400 Main St. in Dayton, the Nevada State Museum Store, 600 N. Carson St. and the Carson Tahoe Regional Medical Center store, 1600 Medical Parkway, and Lone Tree Gallery, 1598 Esmeralda St. in Minden.

Pam Graber, Carson Tahoe Regional Healthcare Foundation executive director, said she doesn't know how much the prints could raise, but that they appreciate any amount that brings the foundation closer to its goal. So far $4 million has been raised to construct the cancer center. The foundation must raise $11.5 million more for this project and other services.

"We are grateful to Steven for his superb artwork and community mindedness," she said. "Each print sold generates hundreds of dollars for the cancer center building fund. People who purchase 'A View From Within' will have a beautiful print and at the same time support a great cause."

-- Contact reporter Becky Bosshart at bbosshart@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1212.