Get holiday ready with gift wrap by Tucson artists

But when you finally decide to buy that creosote candle, handmade jewelry, or a piece of artwork bursting with color, you don’t want to just slap any old bow on it.

Tucson artists who give us the gift of visual feasts every day in the form of murals, paintings, custom stickers, shirts and more have generously stepped up to help you with your wrapping needs.

The Arizona Daily Star has teamed up with 12 local artists to bring you 12 Days of Cheer. The artists have agreed to share a piece of work from their portfolios to be turned into holiday wrapping paper.

Each day starting today, Sunday, Dec. 3, through Dec. 14, you can find a full page of wrapping paper in the Arizona Daily Star. You can also download it at tucson.com/cheer.

Chances are you’ve seen these artists’ work, but here’s your opportunity to get to know them.

Diana Madaras has been the owner of Madaras Gallery in Tucson for nearly 25 years.

Oddly enough, the painter, who works in acrylic, watercolors and pastels, found her way to art through sports marketing.

Originally from Toms River, New Jersey, Madaras came to Tucson more than 40 years ago to pursue a master’s degree in sports marketing at the University of Arizona.

As the owner of a marketing firm, she took a trip to the Bahamas, where she saw artist-made note cards in a grocery store and was struck with the realization that she was missing creativity in her life.

A year later, she traveled to Greece for a month to paint, and her life’s path shifted.

“In Greece, I enjoyed the emersion in art so much I knew I had to sell my marketing company and devote my career to painting full-time,” Madaras said. “I painted feverishly upon my return to Tucson, and a year later opened a small gallery on Broadway.”

Madaras’ favorite subjects to paint include local architecture, serene landscapes and florals.

She’s also incorporated her passion for animals into her work, going beyond just painting wildlife.

When Madaras opened her gallery in 1999, she also founded a nonprofit, Art for Animals, which has raised more than $200,000 for animal cruelty prevention, saving pets from euthanasia and rehabilitating injured wildlife.

Her piece “San Xavier” is on Page E3 today. Check out more of her work at Madaras Gallery, 3035 N. Swan Road, or online at Madaras.com.

Lauri Kaye considers herself a storyteller artist. Her business name, “Create For the People,” is fitting in a number of ways.

Kaye, 54, prides herself on creating art that evokes joy and intrigue. But she’s most proud when people who aren’t necessarily into art like her work because it’s relatable.

“They don’t need a Ph.D. to appreciate it,” she says.

Kaye also uses her art as an avenue to give back. When she has exhibits, she’ll dedicate a percentage of sales from a piece to a local charity. Most recently, the profits from her work “Sonoran Hot Dog Barrel Cactus” were dedicated to the Tucson Family Food Project, which provides children with meal kits that feed at least four people and teaches them how to cook them.

Kaye’s desire to reflect the community is also evident in her work. In 2016, she started her “Tucson Portrait Series,” which illuminates the people, places and events that make Tucson extraordinary.

“It forces me to talk to strangers, find our commonality and share the joy that surrounds us,” she says.

Kaye loves to draw with pencils and pens but says her work is mixed media — hand drawings, photography and digital color, printed on 9-foot sheets of metal, that can withstand the outdoor climate.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Kaye attended art school in New York City, where she worked as a graphic designer before moving to Tucson.

Once in Tucson, she launched Create Cafe & Catering, which had a 13-year run.

“The menu was my canvas,” Kaye said. She also painted all of the furniture and chairs and had rotating artists exhibit their work.

These days, you can find Kaye’s work for sale or on exhibit at several spots around town, including the Southern Arizona Arts Guild Gallery, The Tucson Gallery, Art House Centro, Why I Love Where I Live, the Tucson Jewish Community Center, Absolutely Art and the Tucson Botanical Gardens.

Her piece, “Moonlit Hike,” will be published in the Star’s Monday, Dec. 4, edition. See more of her work at createforthepeople.com.

Chuck Watkins is a Tucson native with an appreciation for the beauty of the desert landscape, from our colorful sunsets to the wildlife.

The 41-year-old oil painter’s work reflects that passion, as does the fact that he shares a home with a tortoise — along with a wife, a newborn and three dogs.

His love of art goes back to his middle school days, when Watkins could always be found drawing and doing other forms of art.

“I liked how I could let my creativity flow,” he says.

But it wasn’t until 11 years ago that Watkins started showing his artwork full-time, and he’s continued to build his business, Chuck Watkins Art, over the years.

His goal is to make people smile when they see his work — a glimpse at his portfolio will do the trick.

Watkins’ “The Arizona Wildlife” collection features some of his most popular wildlife paintings from over the years. He’s sharing that with the Arizona Daily Star with a Christmas twist on Tuesday, Dec. 5.

In addition to shopwatkinsart.com, his work can be found in some of the national parks in the southwest area, Art House Centro, Tohono Chul, Mesquite Valley Growers and El Conquistador.

Jacqueline Chanda takes life at face value.

“It is what it is and we are who we are, nothing hidden, nothing obscured,” the representational artist says.

She uses her oil paintings to capture people doing everyday things.

“It’s like looking at slices of life,” she says.

In doing so, Chanda hopes people see themselves in her work and the “humanness of who we are and all we do.”

The visual arts have had a place in Chanda’s life for as long as she can remember.

She studied painting and drawing as an undergrad before earning a Ph.D. in the theory and aesthetics of art and art history.

Chanda served as an art educator/arts administrator before becoming a full-time artist.

It was her interest in participating in fine art fairs that served as her entry to looking at art as a business.

The owner of Jacqueline Chanda Fine Art is from Detroit, Michigan. She was working at the University of North Texas when she got a job offer from the UA’s College of Fine Arts, bringing her to Tucson in 2006.

An avid cyclist, Chanda, 73, loves the city’s cycling paths and its bike-friendly atmosphere.

Her piece, “Hotel Congress,” depicts an iconic Tucson destination on a rare snowy day. It’ll be published in the Star on Wednesday, Dec. 6.

You can find more of her work at jacquelinechanda.com. It’s also on display in galleries in Colorado, Ohio, Massachusetts and Washington, D.C.

Gerald Dawavendewa is Hopi and Cherokee, growing up in Northern Arizona and Oklahoma.

The creation of crafts and arts has always been a part of Dawavendewa’s culture in which no one person is considered an artist, he says.

Learning by watching family members, Dawavendewa began creating art, allowing his inspiration to determine what process and materials he uses.

“This has given me opportunities to learn new skills and processes to create the work,” Dawavendewa said. “I have worked in drawing, painting, sculptures, carving, installation art, fabrics, weaving and writing.”

Artistically, the 59-year-old is inspired by Indigenous cultures, especially the Hopi and Cherokee cultures he was born into.

His piece “Migration,” which is being published in the Star on Thursday, Dec. 7, depicts a migration of birds. For the Hopi people, birds hold essential roles in ceremonies and rituals, Dawavendewa says.

It’s Dawavendewa’s hope that viewers of his art can gain an appreciation of Indigenous culture, craft and work that spans thousands of years.

Check out more of his work at fourthworlddesign.com. The UA alum’s pieces can also be found at Native Seeds Search, the Western National Park Association bookstore in Oro Valley; The “Hopi House” at the Grand Canyon; Montezuma Castle National Monument and Tuzigoot National Monument in Northern Arizona.

As a child, Nathalie Aall was inspired to illustrate her natural surroundings. But a lifelong love of nature pushed her to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biological sciences.

It wasn’t until she discovered the field of scientific illustration that Aall was able to have the best of both worlds.

The 37-year-old is a scientific illustrator who creates desert-inspired illustrations. She works mainly with watercolor and graphite on hot-press watercolor paper.

“My artistic style is very focused on the subject with a classic white background as often seen in vintage scientific illustrations,” Aall says. “I enjoy illustrating the details of the subject’s morphology, behavior, or it’s symbiotic relationship to the flora or fauna surrounding it.”

Through her art, Aall aims to increase public awareness of often overlooked animals and encourage sustainability and conversation efforts.

For Aall, the topic of sustainability reaches beyond her art.

She sustainably rebuilt and renovated her Tucson home and is continuing her education in permaculture and sustainable building techniques.

Aall is also building a tiny house on wheels, what she calls “a large scale art project,” with sustainable building practices. Her plan is to rent it out to short-term desert vacationers.

Aall is a Tucson transplant, having been born in Germany before moving to the United States when she was 11 years old. She landed in Tucson in 2016 from Seattle where she completed her graduate certificate in natural science illustration at the University of Washington.

Her wrapping paper, being published Friday, Dec. 8, is made up of several illustrations, showing a small snippet of the biodiversity the Sonoran Desert has to offer.

“To me, the meshing of biology and art is essential in communicating the beauty and importance of the natural world,” she says.

Check out her work at aallformsoflife.etsy.com or in person at places including Pop Cycle, Art House Centro, Arizona Poppy shop and the Sabino Canyon visitor’s center.

As an aerospace engineer, Elishka Jepson finds beauty in math, science and engineering. She translates that into her side business as a graphic designer.

The daughter of a graphic designer, Jepson started designing T-shirts when she was in college and selling them on print-on-demand websites. By 2011, she discovered a print-on-demand fabric business and was hooked.

While most of her work is completely digital, Jepson has been branching out into physical media, investing in a laser cutter and engraver during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though a lot of her work is influenced by her technical background, Jepson says flora, plants and animals are her other favorite subjects to work with.

The 39-year-old’s artistic style has been described as whimsical.

“I’m a big kid at heart, and I think that translates into my work,” Jepson says. “I hope people find something that resonates with them, and brings them joy.”

Originally from Olympia, Washington, Jepson moved to Tucson in 2006 for work and was won over by the sunshine.

“I’ve lived here 17 years, and am still constantly amazed at the wide variety of cacti we have all around us,” Jepson said.

Her piece, “Old Desert Nights,” captures just that, also giving a nod to the astronomical wonders we can see in our dark skies. It’ll be published in the Star on Saturday, Dec. 9.

Work from her graphic design business, Robyriker Designs, can be found on multiple print-on-demand websites, as well as on Etsy. You can find all of Jepson’s shops at linktr.ee/robyriker.

A signature of Serena Rios McRae is creating art on odd surfaces. The multimedia artist has done watercolors on animal skulls, printmaking with erasers, and she’s currently using an 800-page fantasy novel as a sketchbook.

Looking at her watercolor works is akin to viewing one of Tucson’s sunsets with breathtaking hues. You’d never know it’s been driven by her experience with various mental diagnoses, from postpartum depression to ADHD to bipolar disorder.

While her work aims to spark joy, Rios McRae has used her artistic platform to speak openly about her struggles.

One such example: After having two babies, the Tucson native created a 52-card deck dubbed “Affirmations Moms Actually Need.” With her whimsical art as the backdrop, Rios McRae shared what she wished “someone had said to me while I was struggling through a difficult pregnancy and postpartum depression.”

The project clearly struck a chord — 36 hours after launching an online Kickstarter campaign, the deck was fully funded.

“As I have shared out loud, I have been met with so much gratitude from the community at large,” the Tucson native says. “My truest hope, and the mission statement on my website, is my desire to bring joy to humans. I hope that my work can help people feel seen, feel less alone, feel uplifted, and experience beauty and joy.”

A more recent effort is her new coloring book, “She Dreams of the Desert.” The project, available on Amazon, is inspired by Arizona and features the real faces and bodies of Tucson women.

“I love honoring women I know with these drawings of them as something ethereal and powerful, and showing the world the beauty in bodies of all shapes and sizes,” the owner of Cactus Clouds Art says.

In addition to watercolors, Rios McRae has embraced digital art, printmaking, murals and other traditional artworks like graphite.

The 35-year-old says she draws inspiration from everything.

“I have ADHD and bipolar disorder, so due to my neurodivergent brain I actually see things that aren’t there. I arrange pictures from abstract shapes,” Rios McRae says. “Beauty is everywhere, the human race is so creative and inspirational.”

Her Pink Eraser Art Project, which will be published in collage form in the Star on Dec. 10, involves carving images into pink erasers to be used as rubber stamps. The idea has spread virally as an artistic movement over the last year.

“I have inspired people from across the world to realize that anyone can make art and do creative things,” she said. “I love to uplift people with my artwork, but it is also so cool to see that something I have created has also encouraged others to prioritize the healing that creativity can bring into their own lives.”

Rios McRae’s work can be found at beacons.ai/cactuscloudsart. She also has original art pieces on display and available for sale at the Art & Sol Tattoo Gallery and in the Hotel McCoy lobby.

Mel Dominguez’s artwork is bold, both visually and in messaging.

The owner of Tucson’s Galeria Mitotera considers his artwork a direct expression of his Chicano culture, as well as of political, social and environmental issues.

He has long used his creative talents to make an impact on his community, going back to when he lived in east Los Angeles, where he headed a community mural project with neighborhood youth.

Dominguez, 45, has undertaken similar efforts since moving to Tucson in 2007. He was convinced to relocate by his wife, whose family lives here.

“I love people and stories,” he says of what inspires him artistically.

A painter, illustrator and muralist, Dominguez works in acrylic and mixed media, calling art his favorite form of expression.

His piece, “Itsukatsu,” is a playful example of Dominguez spotlighting a piece of Tucson’s Latino culture. It features a classic Mexican donkey piñata behind the wheel of a lowrider, which was inspired by local artist CYFY and Jonny BuBonik, Dominguez says.

“Itsukatsu” will be published in the Star on Dec. 11.

You can find Dominguez’s art at his gift shop, 1802 S. Fourth Ave., or browse online at galeriamitotera.com.

For oil painter Neil Myers, “the whole world is the subject.”

He, like many local artists, looks to Tucson’s desert for inspiration, but also draws from travels overseas for new works.

It doesn’t stop there; the 48-year-old says he’s fascinated with space and astronomy, joking that if he had another lifetime, he’d be a space artist and paint landscapes of other planets and moons. He even has a personalized autograph from THE Neil Armstrong that reads: “From one Neil to another, Neil.”

The beginning of his interest in the arts, however, required no passport. It started at home in North Carolina, where, as a child, Myers would comb through his mom’s sketchbooks of charcoal drawings. He copied them and made pencil drawings of his own. Later, as a teen, he’d fall in love with the bright colors of oil pigments when a friend loaned him a kit.

Oil painting remains his primary medium, though he also works in watercolor, gouache, linocut prints and monoprints.

Myers would later go on to live overseas twice before coming to Tucson, his adopted hometown, in 2003 for his wife’s job.

That same year, Myers’ work was picked up by the Rosequist Gallery of Tucson, which was at the time one of Tucson’s oldest galleries. Two years later, in 2005, he was featured in Southwest Art Magazine as one of their young artists to watch in the U.S.

The expressionist style artist’s primary artistic influences are Jean-Claude Quilici, Vincent Van Gogh and Scott Burdick.

“I hope my artistic style says something about the love of the natural world and the love of color,” Myers said. “Also, because for a large part of my adult life I have had to battle a painful spinal condition which was the result of a tumor that nearly paralyzed me in 2009, I often hope my work gives people the assurance that you can still triumph over pain and struggle, and still make something beautiful with the time you are given.”

Myer’s piece, “Sonoran Desert Moon,” will be published in the Star on Dec. 12.

His work can be seen at Cobalt Fine Arts in Tubac, as well as Marshall Gallery in Scottsdale and Cobalt Gallery of San Diego. Find it online at neilmyersfineart.com.

Pen Macias has been tapping into her creative juices since she was a child. It’s where she thrives and feels most alive.

Chances are you’ve encountered the muralist’s work throughout the Tucson area on neighborhood walls and at local businesses — the vibrant colors make them hard to miss.

“I went to an arts magnet school growing up, where I gained the artistic skill set,” says Macias, who works under the name “The Desert Pen.” “But I was destined to be a creative from the moment I was born.”

The 38-year-old mother of four says she feels inspired by beauty in any form: flowers, the desert, beauty in humanity, interesting color combinations and unusual textures in nature.

That’s on full display in the piece she has shared with the Arizona Daily Star, which will be published on Dec. 13.

Though she is from Huntsville, Alabama, Macias has spent half of her life in Tucson.

“This was supposed to be a short-term stepping stone, but as I quickly realized, Tucson was amazing and this was where I wanted to end up,” she says.

Some of Macias’ favorite murals include a project for the Historic 4th Avenue Coalition, at Fourth Ave. and Seventh St.; and a piece across the street from the Randolph Center on Alvernon Way. She also has artwork at Pop Cycle, Why I Love Where I Live, Petroglyphs and Creative Kind.

Get a taste of her work at instagram.com/thedesertpen.

For decades, Ashley Chamberlain built custom furniture. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago that she took her furniture painting technique of layering and scraping paint to perfection and applied it to wall art.

Her creations come to life on hardboard with acrylic and spray paint. Each painting is finished with a colorful wooden frame.

The Tucson native got into art while taking woodworking in middle and high school. It was in the University of Arizona’s theatre department that she learned about color mixing and design and how to think outside of the box. When she graduated, she specialized in set and lighting design.

Her artwork today is inspired by Tucson’s cacti, mountains, sunsets and animals.

“I like adding a splash of color to people’s lives and adding some desert cheer to their homes,” the owner of AC Design Etc. says.

In addition to building furniture and wall art, Chamberlain, 53, has another creative outlet: She’s a drummer. She was in the band The Spurloafers for 10 years.

You can see her work at acdesignetc.com. Global Arts Gallery also represents Chamberlain in Patagonia, if you happen to take a day trip down south.

“I love Tucson and I am proud of the art created here,” Chamberlain says. “Tucson has a special artistic community full of amazing people.”