Friday, May 11, 2001 | 9:19 a.m.
Like father, like son.
Local artist Loren Purcell followed in his father's footsteps when he began etching copper plates three years ago.
He continues to do so and this weekend will be a featured artist at the 4th Annual ArtFest of Henderson Saturday and Sunday.
Loren's father, Roy Purcell, was the first artist that the Henderson ArtFest featured when the event premiered in 1997.
The two-day event will be held on Water Street in downtown Henderson. It will host nearly 200 local and national artists, live entertainment on three stages, street performers and food from Henderson vendors.
The Purcells have participated in many art shows in the West, and Roy Purcell has traveled the world exhibiting and selling his etchings. In 1995 he opened Purcell Studios, at 2000 Pinto Road in Henderson.
The ancient practice of etching was begun as a way to illustrate books. It is carried on by the Purcells for its delicate images and old-fashioned appeal.
"We will sit in a room for hours, not talking, a comfortable silence," while they work the 400-year-old process, Loren Purcell said. "We work side by side."
The process uses a copper plate covered with a thick, tar-like substance. A needle is used to etch a design into the plate, exposing the metal.
The piece is then placed in a nitric-acid bath and the image is embedded in the copperplate. The protective layer of tar is removed and color is applied to the plate. The plate is then run through a press, and the image is transferred onto soft paper.
Father and son were not always as close. Loren Purcell moved to northern Utah in 1980 with his mother and five sisters after his parents divorced.
He occasionally visited his father, who encouraged his son's penchant for painting.
"I've been drawing since I was old enough to eat crayons," Loren Purcell said. "I loved (his father's) etchings for the detail."
Around age 21, Loren Purcell was restless. He returned to Henderson to be with his father, learn etching and make a career as an artist.
The move paid off.
The younger Purcell is an illustrator for KC Publications, a Las Vegas company that publishes books and pamphlets for national parks.
Roy Purcell has done etchings for the First Presbyterian Church depicting the life of Christ, as well as murals for the MGM Grand's high-roller suites and several pieces at area banks, he said.
He's passed the craft, and the enthusiasm, on to his son.
Roy Purcell retired from the art-show circuit in the late '70s. He was brought back in by the Event Group Inc., from Tempe, Ariz., which promotes art shows around the West. He will attend a few art shows each year whereas at his peak, he was involved with more than 80 per year.
"This art show is unique because they focus on the community, featuring local artists," Purcell said. "I thought that was needed here in Henderson."
The Events Group and the city of Henderson agreed.
"Roy had a major role in getting the festival to Henderson," Sherry Maguire, coordinator for Events Group, said.
Annette Mullins, recreation supervisor for the city of Henderson, said the family-oriented event was ideal for its plans to revitalize the city's downtown area.
"We started the ArtFest so people could come downtown and realize what Henderson has to offer," Mullins said.
The first ArtFest in 1997 drew 20,000 people. Mullins expects that number to double this year.
"The number of artists has been increasing each year as we become better known on the art circuit," Mullins said, "and with people."
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