Gallery West in McKinley Arts & Culture Center hosts watercolor painter Lisa Jefferson. Her paintings are a unique cross between hyperrealism and dreamlike imagery of the natural beauty of the American West Coast. Jefferson has been professionally trained as a graphic designer at Colorado State University, and has worked in the printing industry for several years, meanwhile refining her talent for watercolors along the whole way.

Jefferson’s exhibit explores the delicate relationship that light plays with the outdoors, expressing the soft glow behind foliage, the transparency of glass and crystal, and perfectly painting the way the light bounces off of a natural body of water. She strives to provide a distinctively dreamy perspective on how we view the beauty in our natural surroundings

Jefferson is a member of the National Watercolor Society (TWSA), the Transparent Watercolor Society of American (TWSA), and the Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society (RMWS). She is involved in the local maker scene, and sells paintings, prints, and cards in various small businesses within the Northern Nevada region.

McKinley Arts and Culture Center hosts two gallery spaces. Located on the river walk, McKinley Galleries East and West show talented artists from the Great Basin and beyond.