December is a contemplative month.
It brings us joy as family comes together, sorrow when we mark a first holiday after a loved one has passed. It is a month we reflect on the year ending, and the one that is about to begin.
The month is thick with emotions for many of us.
And visual artists are especially adept at giving a language to emotions.
Tucson is packed with accomplished visual artists; we asked a few of them to share a piece that evokes December for them.
Gail Marcus-Orlen
Gail Marcus-Orlen says “Masquerade” fits right into the spirit of the month. “I think of this time of year as being about parties and dressing up with gloves,” she says.
“Mascarade,” oil on canvas, 34 inches by 34 inches
Marcus-Orlen is a nationally-known artist whose works often border on the surreal. Not surprising: She counts Magritte among her influences.
This fanciful painting, the University of Arizona graduate says, fits right into the spirit of the month. “I think of this time of year as being about parties and dressing up with gloves,” she says.
Price range of her art: $1,000-$5,000.
See her work: At Café a la Carte, 150 N. Main Ave., on the grounds of the Tucson Museum of Art.
Kami Boufelfel
This wool and goat hair blanket is one of Kami Boufelfel’s creations.
Wool and goat hair blanket, 6 feet by 4 feet
Boufelfel studied textiles at London’s Central Saint Martins College and started weaving in earnest about three years ago. “My grandmother in Algiers had an upright loom in her kitchen,” says Boufelfel. “It’s nice to think that the tradition can be carried into future generations.” Master weaver Crane Day has been mentoring her. Making blankets is a natural this time of year, she says. “They’re nice gifts and weaving them might encourage winter to come to town.
Price range of her art: $300-$450.
See her work: Crane Day’s studio at Axle Studios, 301 W. Fourth St., and Desert Vintage, 403 N. Sixth Ave.
Lester David Aguirre
Lester David Aguirre says “Departure,” charcoal on paper and wood, is a portrait of his mother, who passed away several months ago.
“Departure,” charcoal on paper and wood, 4 feet by 4 feet
This holiday season is a particularly poignant one for Aguirre: His mother passed away several months ago. This is his recent portrait of her. “It has been a difficult process accepting my reality, a reality that many people are also going through,” says Aguirre, a recent graduate from the UA, where he studied visual communication. “This art piece represents pain, frustration and many emotions I’m experiencing and that I will only learn to live with.”
Price range of his art: $300-$5,000.
See his work: lesterdaguirre.myportfolio.com.
Ernesto Esquer
“It’s almost a lonely picture, and cold, and it makes me want to go inside,” Ernesto Esquer says of “Moon and Tree.
“Moon and Tree,” blue-toned gelatin silver print, shot with a Nikon FM2 35mm camera with infrared film.
Esquer, who teaches photography at Pima Community College and runs the photography facilities there, took this picture in his backyard. “It’s almost a lonely picture, and cold, and it makes me want to go inside.,” he says. Inside is where he wants to be during the holidays. “Inside, you are with family, sharing food and gifts. It’s where you do family bonding.”
Price range of his art: $200-$400.
See his work: ernestoesquer.com.
Risa Waldt
“Snow on Peppersauce Canyon” is by Risa Waldt. She says snow in Southern Arizona “is a wonderful thing.”
“Snow on Peppersauce Canyon,” watercolor, 8 inches by 20 inches
“Snow in December in Southern Arizona is a wonderful thing,” says Waldt, who, as a Tucson native, knows it is also a rare thing. Waldt studied at the University of Arizona, but she credits her success to her mother and stepmother for their encouragement, and her father, who took her on scouting trips. “That’s how I got the lay of the land, and the colors,” she said.
Price range of her art: $100-$2,000.
See her work: www.risawaldt.com.
Jack McLain
Former New Yorker Jack McLain painted “Who Threw The Lawnchairs in the East River.” He says he misses his old city this time of year.
“Who Threw The Lawnchairs in the East River,” acrylic on gallery-wrapped canvas, 40 inches by 40 inches.
McLain has long been settled in Tucson, but he still sometimes yearns for his old hometown, New York City.
“At this time of year, I miss the city more than any other time,” he says. “I love the way the city comes alive. It’s very unique this time of year.”
McLain has had an eclectic career — a medic, nurse, toxicologist and fine art photographer. But in his retirement, he concentrates on his art.
Price range of his art: $150-$2,000.
See his work: jackmclain.com.
Harriet Hason
“Singing in the Sonoran’ reflects the holiday spirit, Harriet Hason says
“Singing in the Sonoran,” ceramic, 18 inches high.
“It reflects the Sonoran desert and, at the same time, it reflects the holiday spirit,” says Hason of the piece. The retired arts educator has been influenced by her extensive travels and, especially, the desert here. “I feel a spiritual connection with the desert, and most of my work reflects that.”
Price range of her art: $125-$1,500.
See her work: harriethasonartist.com.
