Artist and "rock-kicking" prospector Bob Reynierson, along with guests Jim and Eric Thomas, are collecting gold nuggets, flakes and gold dust in White Oaks, the nearby Jicarilla, and from Nogal Canyon.

"People haven't seen gold from Lincoln County for a long time," Reynierson said.

Gold-mining operations in White Oaks petered out around the same time as the railroad made its fateful bypass of the boom town, but a 1972 geological survey reported that about 80 tons of gold remain in the nearby Jicarilla hills. That sounds like a lot, but because the gold is all "flour, dust and flakes," it's difficult to collect. The same is true of historical gold mining areas like White Oaks and Nogal.

However, a special gadget invented by Jim Thomas, his ion gold recovery machine, pulls fine gold out of sifted dirt, capturing particles as fine as four microns small.

"That's twice the size of a cold germ," Thomas reports.

An Earth-friendly process, the machine uses no water and there's no hard rock mining involved. The prospectors just shift dirt around in old washes and dry creeks.

During the White Oaks Studio Tour, you can buy little gold nuggets, and vials of water containing gold flakes, all complete with a certificate of authenticity. Reynierson will set up shop at the historic Brown Store, where you'll also find his artwork. Reynierson's paintings range from abstract to realism.

Just about every point of interest in White Oaks will be open during the studio tour. Birdsong's Crafty Cage features paintings and needle artistry by Ruth Birdsong, who's also written numerous historical works on the region. The Taylor House (once the residence of the local blacksmith, circa 1895) is home and studio to Palla Duncan, an impressionist painter who apprenticed with the French master Jean Richard.

Up the road you'll find Ghost Town Whimsies Gallery, home and studio to doll maker Valerie Thomas, and Moondance Gallery, where Barbara and David Spencer carry Western arts and crafts by several different artists. Barbara is a tin worker and jewelry crafter; Dave makes southwestern furniture and woodcarvings. Also at the Moondance you'll find Donna Willoughby's unique rope baskets and Karen Callahan's fancy handmade candles.

Ivy Heymann's White Oaks Pottery is located in the hills beyond downtown White Oaks. Hand-thrown and slab-built, Heymann's porcelain pottery shows influences from Asian and American folk pottery blended with a White Oaks palette. Her studio will also feature fine, hand-painted ceramics by guest artist Bill Kerr, and tile works by Marty and Lisa Davenport. The Davenports use sculpted, painted and airbrushed tiles in furniture, jewelry boxes, cutting boards, and murals.

Visitors should make a day of the White Oaks tour - grab lunch at the Schoolhouse and stay for the dance on Saturday night. Austin musician Jason "Captain Stringbean" Eklund will play the White Oaks ("No Scum Allowed") Saloon and Social Club. This notorious little bar is an attraction unto itself.

White Oaks is located nine miles east of Highway 54, just north of Carrizozo, New Mexico. The turn-off is well-marked. Studios are open from 10 to 4 on Saturday and Sunday, April 20 and 21.