The Artists
Pan Pantoja
Pan Pantoja is the lead artist and founder of the Potentialist Workshop. His creative vision is what launched the House of Infinite Potential and the story of Upside Down Land was written by him to tell his son before bed. Pan embodies what it means to be a Potentialist by creating and excelling in all the mediums. He is a sculptor, muralist, painter, poet (former Reno Poet Laurate), vocalist, and mentor. The list trails on for decades of creation and accomplishment in the arts.
Steve Debruyn
Steve is an installation artist from London, Ontario. His work is primarily made from wood and paint. He likes to make sculptures that people can sit, walk and even skateboard on. Steve is the lead artist of Tinker Town and applied for Under The Mountain via our international art call.
Krystal with a K
Krystal with a K is a Reno artist, poet and actor. She’s also a resident artist at The Potentialist.
Colin O’ BrYan
A Reno native, Colin O’Bryan has been an active sculptor in the community , with 5 city pieces for the publics enjoyment. Colin also creates small, medium, and large Art as a full time occupation at this point in his carrier . A proud member of the potentialist Art group, pushing the art scene forward with all his might.
Lee Lanier
Lee Lanier is a contemporary narrative painter and muralist who lives in Boulder City, Nevada and runs a gallery in Las Vegas, Nevada. His colorful paintings breathe new life into historical, literary, and mythological stories. Of late, his paintings have joined 7 solo shows and 70 group shows at 36 galleries and museums in 8 states. He co-founded the Dam Short Film Festival and sat on the board of the Las Vegas Arts District. Lee Lanier was the primary artist selected from our international art call for Under The Mountain.
Deniz Nicole
Artist. Dancer. Teacher. Lover of the desert and the stars. Lead artist in the flower cave.
Paolo Acuna
Paolo Acuna is a contemporary realist painter and sculptor whose work blends classical technique with surreal and natural themes. His oil paintings often straddle the line between realism and the surreal, capturing fleeting moments and dreamlike compositions rooted in nature and the human form. Alongside his paintings, Paolo creates bronze and stone sculptures—ranging from whimsical wildlife to large-scale surreal forms—using traditional methods including the lost-wax process and hand-carved stone sourced from Italian quarries. His work reflects a
lifelong commitment to craftsmanship, storytelling, and emotional resonance.
Caleb Blackwell
For over a decade I've been finding joy in learning new art mediums, rediscovering how to play and create, and making something for the queers to help us feel represented and cherished.
Lately this has led me to a new realm of in person showings, gallery opportunities, and creating merch for events and art spaces.
Reno Punk Rock Flea Market Seller '24
Reno Punk Rock Pride Merch Designer '25
The Cards You're Dealt Artist Showcase '25
Under The Mountain Art Gallery Merch Designer '25
Thank you for reading my bio, and I’ll see you in the desert!
Jeff Johnson
The State of Nevada’s ‘’Minister of Inert Gases, OG’’, Jeff Johnson, splashed into Reno’s Art scene in 2001 with “Fish Breath in the Year of the Plague”, 20 neon cutthroat trout swimming upstream to spawn under the Truckee River in downtown in Reno. Inspired to create unprecedented applications of neon art in outdoor settings, neither Nevada nor Eastern California have been immune to his alfresco spectacles. Mr. Johnson owns his means of production at the Pilfered Pines Neon Landscape Gallery, Reno and Northern Nevada’s unique and premier neon art museum. His evolving neon window display at Bruka Theatre, ‘’Asexual Reproduction in Nevada’’ has been a feature of fine art in downtown Reno since before Believe, before the whale, since when the Mapes Hotel was still standing. Johnson has collaborated with a thousand local artists and entrepreneurs for signage and art. In 2007 he was the Noble Grand Instigator of the original Dada Motel, a community art show ‘’Celebrating Reno’s Unlimited Potential for Absurdity’’. His favorite work is restoration of classic and landmark neon signs from the 20th century. Timeless and Postmodern neon art concepts independent from authoritarian entities are his specialty.
Nick Noyes
Nick Noyes is a fine artist and muralist from Reno, Nevada, USA. His primary themes are portraits, flowers, and non-figurative abstracts. His primary mediums are oil paint, spray paint, oil pastels, chalk, collage, and 2D sculpture. His styles include abstract, impressionism, abstract expressionism, and cubism.
Miss stencil
Mixing influences from my Chinese roots with my experience living and traveling around the world, I often focus on the interplay between cultures in my artwork. Coming from a family who loves history and archeology, I often juxtapose ancient and modern elements in my work too.
After being a multimedia artist and a photographer for many years, I started to do stencil street art during the pandemic, decorated boarded up windows and vandalized walls with whimsical art related to local history. I don’t limit myself on mediums or styles, I only want to experience as much things I am curious about as possible, just like what an innocent child would do. I hope to reach out across the boundaries of culture and country to share my experiences and perspective and to bring some thoughts and smiles to our lives.
Brandon Lacow
Brandon Lacow is a visual artist whose work explores themes of identity, memory, and personal transformation. Using a range of materials and processes, Lacow creates images, sculptures and installations that reflect on boundaries, both physical and emotional. His practice examines the spaces we create for protection, connection, and self-discovery.
Sprocket
Jessi Sprocket is an artist, community activist, organizer and mom living in the high desert of Northern Nevada.
She’s worked on various large-scale projects for Burning Man and beyond. She’s most known for her 2018 Burning Man honorarium - Baba Yaga’s House - and her DIY community non-profit, The Reno Punk Rock Flea Market. Her art career started in Philadelphia where she assisted in immersive art for various events with Kostume Kult, PEX, and the Grimy Goblin Grotto.
For UTM, she created a kinetic light sculpture for the fairy garden.
Emmalou Ras
Sacramento-based artist, Emmalou Ras, was part of Upcyclepop now called The Atrium. She was mentored by Shira Lane. Emmalou has been honing her skills in art installations for the past several years. She worked on two Upcyclepop art installations called Under the River and Maggie’s Vision. Her work started from dark rooms with neon artworks, now she has bumped up her game to more bright and pop colors. Originally a portrait artist. Emmalou blended her skills with her love for paint colors. She progressed when she moved to Reno and became the main artist for Morris Burner Hostel. She had done 4 rooms; The Melted Circus, The Inverted Circus, Elvis Room, and The Red Room. She also did a mural in front of the building called Burning in Love. She’s also worked on other murals including The Golden Submarine. After Morris Burner closed down she worked with Peter Hazel and did a lot of work with him with on Lucy the Octopus, Charlie the Dog, and the 15-foot horse, The Turtle and the Monarch Butterfly and the Leaves. She built her own outhouse twice for Virginia City’s Annual Outhouse Race. She also collaboration with Pan Pantoja on various projects and has been in multiple art shows at The Potentialist and another independent art Gallery called The Garden of Shadows. Now she is part of the Under the Mountain project along with local and out-of-town artists. Check out her past work at emmalouras.com or IG fatalblackroses
jack ryan
Mermex creator, storyteller, actor, magician.
jonathan johnson
Lead fabricator for Upside Down Universe art fence. Owner of Biggest Little Handyman.
Daisy Mae
I am a self-described maker of frivolous nonsense. For the Underground Universe, I am creating creatures from the 5D that come to me in my dreams. These otherworldly beings I have brought to life from found and acquired objects, colorful furs and shiny things to be interesting to the eye and to the touch, yes, please touch them!
Five fun facts about me:
Advertising and Marketing Director of Big Brother Skateboarding Magazine ‘til its demise in 2004
Owned and operated the toy and novelty gift shop Happy Happy Joy Joy in the Reno Midtown District from 2013-2018
Skated banked track roller derby for the LA Derby Dolls and TXRD Lonestar Roller Girls; skated flat track for Reno Roller Girls, Sierra Regional and Black Rock City Roller Derby
A Reno native, it’s my hometown, also spent many years in Hollywood, CA and Austin, TX and claim them as hometowns too
A union member of IATSE Local 363, the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
Follow her on IG: @daisymaethatsit
Joe Atack
As an artist, arts educator, and administrator with over sixteen years of professional experience, Joe specializes in creating, producing, planning, and implementing theatre and arts education programming. Joe grew up in northern England, in a tiny village – a term that conjures up idyllic pastoral images; in reality, it was a housing development in a field. Joe serves as the executive director of the Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival.
SARKIS DELIMELKON
ART IS LIFE & LIFE IS ART
Creating art is as natural as eating and breathing; it’s a vital part of my livelyhood. As a self-taught multidisciplinary artist, I have been on the artist’s journey since I was a child. I drew realistic portraits, animals and still life as a six year old boy, without any guidance. I played classical violin in an orchestra, sang, danced and wrote poetry. I practiced martial arts and captured fleeting moments on camera.
For over a decade I have worked professionally as a designer, photographer and art director. I have been deeply observing and participating in creation since I could remember. Love, nature, philosophy, spirituality, and life are my sources of inspiration.
I explore and create with several mediums, sometimes mixed media. I’ve created over 8,000 unique pieces of art on paper and canvas in a wide range of scale in the last 7 years alone. I’ve exhibited in several shows and art fairs over the years, selling my works independently, building community and connections through art and love.
FLOW
Through the creative process I discovered a direct connection with source, a flow-state or a meditative state where I become the observer as the Universe works through me, bringing my attention to the present moment, where the possibilities are infinite and the vibrations are high. Art has given me the ability to self reflect, alchemize energy and heal my mind and soul.
ARTIST STATEMENT
I am Sarkis Delimelkon, an artist defining my unique path within the rich tapestry of art history. Embracing the term “Sarkism” for my personal movement I describe as Universal Expressionism. My creations are moments of meditation expressed in the intricate dance of movement, texture, color, and form.
As I paint, I become both observer and the master of my creative flow, a conduit for expression deeply connected to a universal energy. Through my art, I offer therapeutic experiences. I believe in its profound ability to heal and reconnect individuals with their inner selves, serving as mirrors to the soul.
Expressing and transferring love through every brushstroke, as I aspire to share this transformative power with the world. One Love.
-Sarkis Delimelkon
Lars Strother
Dr. Strother is a psychologist and cognitive neuroscientist who primarily studies visual perception. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and extensive postdoctoral training at research-intensive academic institutions in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Dr. Strother is currently faculty in the Psychology Department at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). He also directs UNR's human brain imaging facilities, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Prior to his Ph.D. work in the psychology of perception, Dr. Strother completed a Bachelor of Science in Art and Design (and Zoology minor) and the University of Wisconsin, Madison, after which he worked as a graphic artist/designer for several years. A primary personal and professional interest of Dr. Strother is working with others to "understand" why humans (and non-humans too!) see things the way we do, whether this is through scientific research, teaching, or interdisciplinary collaboration. Dr. Strother strongly and actively encourages interaction between scientists and non-scientists—including, but not limited to, artists—and he currently has ongoing art-related projects with the UNR Art Department, Lilley Museum and the Nevada Museum of Art.
Megan Hellier
Megan Hellier, is transforming the Potentialist staff kitchen into Gourmela’s room of culinary delights. It’s going to be so tasty.
The inspiration for this space was Daisy Mae Dixon’s giant chameleon creature Gourmela. She’ll be cooking up a swarm of delicious buggy bites for all who dare to experience Under The Mountain.
Adam RObbins
I basically draw inspiration from multiple sources a day. Whether it’s seeing a cool magazine advertisement, t-shirt, hearing a funny joke or sad story, it all mixes together in my guts and later gets splattered on canvas.
Edward Henry Gurd
Metal artist, creator of the metal dragonflies in the Cathedral.
Gideon Caplovitz
Dr. Caplovitz is a cognitive neuroscientist who researches the principles and neural mechanisms that underlie how humans (and octopuses) visually experience the world. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Neuroscience from Dartmouth College and did post-doctoral training at Princeton University. He has nearly 30 years of pre-graduate, graduate and post-graduate experience researching the brain using a combination of behavioral and non-invasive neuroimaging techniques. In addition, Dr. Caplovitz has formal training in computational mathematics with a Master's degree from the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences and has completed internships at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, AT&T Bell Laboratories and Lucent Technologies. He has published over 50 peer-reviewed empirical papers and has received funding for his research from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. He is currently a Professor of Psychology at the University of Nevada Reno where he directs the C-Vision Laboratory and teaches classes on Statistics, Perception and the History of Neuroscience.
mxkt
Abstract painter from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Based on Nevada, USA.
Painter of the black light mural above the Star Pups.
Ray Frost
Ray Frost is a Reno artist making work about the high desert and coyotes, focused on identity, cross-cultural mythology, and the transcendent nature of love. She works in a variety of mediums including screen print, acrylic, sewing, textile dying, resin, and traditional and digital illustration.
Ruby Jo
RUBY IS A FIRST-GENERATION SALVADORAN AMERICAN ARTIST BORN AND RAISED IN RENO, NV. THEY'RE A SELF-TAUGHT/INDEPENDENT VISUAL ARTIST HAVING SHOWN IN GALLERIES AND MUSEUMS LOCALLY. RUBY IS AN ARTIVIST UTILIZING A UNIQUE ARTISTIC VOICE WHICH THEY COINED NUWAVE MAYAN, A STYLE THAT INCORPORATES THEIR SALVADORAN MAYAN ANCESTRY AND HERITAGE IN THE CREATION OF SOCIALLY RELEVANT WORK. RUBY’S EXHIBITS, TALKS, PERFORMANCES, PUBLIC ART, AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT SPEAK TO THEIR COMMITMENT TO ENGAGING WITH THE PUBLIC THROUGH THOUGHTFUL DISCUSSIONS ABOUT CREATING BETTER MORE INCLUSIVE FUTURES.
eric brooks
Eric Brooks is the Arts & Culture Program Manager for the Carson City Tourism Authority. He is responsible for implementing, organizing, managing, and evaluating programs and initiatives that promote cultural tourism and the arts in Nevada’s capital city. This includes special events, festivals, and public art projects.
He has more than 2 decades of experience as an artist and promoter. He participated in 125 exhibitions as a painter and sculptor and worked as a gallery curator for nonprofits in northern Nevada, including Sierra Arts Foundation, Brewery Arts Center, and was co-founder of Art Spot Reno. He spent 2 years in Edinburgh, Scotland as artist-in-residence and creative director at The Forest. He has produced 9 Murals & Music Festivals since 2017, bringing artists from around the world to work in rural communities along with local talent.
Follow him at @EricBrooksFineArt
Chris Crow
Artist, Musician, Poet.
Lead problem solver of Under The Mountain.
Additional Artists:
Axiom Pantoja
Dale Slingland
Lee Johnson
Eduardo Garcia - The Golden Hammer
Holly English
Sebastian
Tana Lynn Zunino
Ray Studio X
Nate Kuhne
Nazanin Arastoozadeh
Bobby Lee
Carrie Lynn
Alex Houlton
Eddie Guth
Megan Hellier
Sam Sidman
Katie Herlihy
Chase Hoagland
Hayley Meadows
Meredith Tanzer
Sam Sprauge