Daniel Martin Diaz wanted the devil.
Robin Westenhiser couldnβt believe her luck when she picked the watermelon.
And Ron Kovatch just wanted something out of his comfort zone.
The Tucson artists are among 40 who have contributed pieces to the GalerΓa Senitaβs upcoming LoterΓa! de Tucson exhibit. It will feature 54 11-by-14-inch pieces, each based on a different card in the traditional Mexican game of chance, LoterΓa.
If you go
What: LoterΓa de Tucson, an exhibit at GalerΓa Senita at Arte de la Vida.
When: 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, Oct. 1-Nov. 30.
Where: 37 N. Tucson Blvd.
Opening reception: 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1.
The opening reception is Saturday, Oct. 1 but the show runs through Nov. 30
Information: 398-6720 and on Facebook
βI was trying to come up with a show that was different,β says Kevin M. Pawlak, who co-owns the gallery within the Arte de la Vida shop with James Goodreau. βI wanted to do something around Day of the Dead, and that was Mexican themed.β
LoterΓa cards each have a number, but it is the images that people pay attention to in the game, which is similar to bingo.
Pawlak put the word out through social media and the artist grapevine. While the bulk of the artists signing on are from Arizona, there are three from outside the country participating.
His original thought was to have the artists select which ones they wanted to do. βBut then we realized we would be stuck with the same six or seven images,β he says.
So he decided to extend the idea of chance, put a deck of LoterΓa cards in a hat and drew the card they would interpret.
Thatβs how Diaz, who is internationally known for his images that are inspired by saints and science, was assigned card 43, the bell.
βI thought, βOh, what can I do,ββ recalls Diaz. βI thought I would ask to trade with someone for something interesting, like the devil.β
Instead, he kept the card and allowed it to take him in a new direction: Heβs thinking heβll take on painting a series of LoterΓa cards.
Women are often the subject of Liz Vaughnβs art, so when she drew Number 17, the mandolin, she knew just what to do. βMy first reaction was I could make that into a woman.β
Some artists grumbled with their assignment, others delighted. But all of them came through with interpretations that will fill the wall of the gallery.
Take a look at some of the works that make up the showβs LoterΓa deck. All artists are from Tucson unless otherwise noted.
No. 6, la sirena, the mermaid, linocut
Artist:Β Alec Dempster
From: Toronto
LoterΓa cards are nothing new to Dempster β he has created two complete sets, with books published on each. One, βLoterΓa Jarocha,β is based on son jarocho, folk music from Mexicoβs Veracruz region. The other, βLoterΓa Huasteca,β recreates his journey to La Huasteca, Mexico, with cards depicting everything from folk tales to salamanders. Dempster was happy that he got the mermaid. βSome of the other (cards) might not have been as inspiring,β he says. His biggest challenge in creating his piece? βI knew that other artists would be participating, so I wanted to do my best in order to stand out.β
No. 7, la escalera, the ladder, mixed media on panel
Artist:Β Carolyn King
βA ladder turned sideways is a bridge,β says King, who lived in Mexico for more than two decades. βItβs personally meaningful to me because I live a life of bridging between the States and Mexico.β
But this image of the ladder propped up against the wall that separates our country from Mexico, and with a small image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, has an even deeper meaning.
βIn my piece, I thank the Virgin of Guadalupe for her protection of two beloved men in my life who crossed the border illegally in their younger days,β says King.
No. 13, el gorrito, the bonnet, Bic pen on muslin
Artist:Β Melo Dominguez
Dominguez was flummoxed about how to give a contemporary interpretation to her card. βI was wondering, βWhat the hell am I going to do?ββ she recalls. What she did: an iconic image of the late rapper Tupac Shakur, his head wrapped in a bandana and the words βthug lifeβ tattooed across his belly. Sheβs a painter, but the answer to what to do sent her back to her earlier days of using a pen and doing portraits. And it stretched her imagination. βItβs always nice to critically think about how to interpret something,β she says.
No. 21, la mano, the hand, mixed media
Artist:Β Rachel Slick
Slickβs art traditionally includes the creation of milagros in which hands are central, so this challenge resonated with her. βFor me, the hand is such a symbol of ability and strength; I usually represent them that way,β she said. While researching her card, she discovered that the hand is generally a thiefβs hand. βThat went into my process in creating the piece,β she says. βIt somewhat changed the way I was approaching it.β And that eye? βItβs about the all-seeing of the thief, and being a spy.β
No. 26, el negrito, the little black one, mixed media assemblage
Artist:Β Kyle Johnston
Johnston knew nothing about the game, so he did some extensive research when he drew this card. βWhen I started to put the piece together, I was cautious about not being offensive,β he says. βI think the card is kind of anachronistic.β The original card has a dapper black man with a hat, a cane and a rose in his lapel. It has sometimes been called the Sammy Davis Jr. card. Johnston took the βlittleβ literally and found a small black figure slipped into a sort of shadow box. A metal rose is a nod to the one worn by the figure in the original.
No. 28, la sandΓa, the watermelon, acrylic on birch board
Artist:Β Robin Westenhiser
This card was perfect for her, says Westenhiser. βIt was a shock when I got it, but I was pretty happy because I very often include watermelons in my paintings.β Westenhiserβs paintings are whimsical and bright. But she also paints in a much bigger size, so she was forced to compact her usual images. βI had fun with this,β she says. βI knew I wanted to make a girl that loves watermelon, a goofy girl with watermelon.β
No. 40, el alacrΓ‘n, the scorpion, mixed media
Artist:Β Ron Kovatch
Kovatch was intrigued with the idea of creating a piece based on a card. βI liked the challenge of taking on something I have little control over,β he says, explaining that what he paints is dictated by his imagination, not an image on a card. He describes his abstract works as βslash and burn,β so creating the scorpion took him out of his comfort zone. Since Kovatchβs recent work has leaned toward the abstract, he infused that aesthetic into the card. βThat work was about the physical process of scribbling with great urgency and pressure, free of any burden of narrative,β Kovatch said in an email about creating the scorpion. β... I applied this physical process, basically mimicking the LoterΓa card of the scorpion. El alacran is an image loaded with symbolism, feared by most, a strange and eccentric, enigmatic and wonderful exoskeleton. I simply reinterpreted the LoterΓa card in my raw and rugged style which pays homage to Abstract Expressionism.β
No. 43, la campana, the bell, oil and gouache on wood
Artist:Β Daniel Martin Diaz
As he struggled to think of how to interpret the card artistically, Diaz remembered sitting in a little village in the Alps listening to the church bells ring in his village, then the next and the next. He was once told that church bells are rung to destroy evil spirits. βEverywhere the bells resonate, they are shattering evil,β says Diaz. βThat idea spoke to me.β He had been studying Russian propaganda posters when he was asked to do the card, and he decided to use that aesthetic in creating it. βI was conflicted, but once I finished it I was really happy with it. β¦ It made me do something I never would have done; now Iβm anxious to start on a whole deck.β