Artists

The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better

Where did you grow up?

Original from Guadalajara, MX, Moved to the US at the age of five. Grew up in Potsdam, NY and moved to Tucson in 1980 where I attended Amphi Jr. High and High school. Alum of the University of Arizona, Eller College of Business 

Tell us about your family

I’ve been married 24 years to Katie and have two daughter’s, Sophie 19, and Marissa, 18

Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them?

I have a cockapoo, named Gracie, Two cats, French Fry and Abby and a four year old desert tortoise, Franklin

When did you know that you would be an artist?

I still don’t know that I am 🙂 I enjoy taking photos of our beautiful desert and surroundings. 

What is your favorite media to work with?

Camera and Prints 

What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do (Tom’s way of asking)? Or, what do you do when you’re not doing your art?

Spending time with my daughters and I also love to cook and grill. 

Tell us about your family.

My parents and grandparents were from NY.  I have a sister and brother  We had lots of family around us to spend time with. I loved growing up in New York.  I married in 1984 to Paul, we have two children, Nikki and Charlie.

Do you have pets, if yes tell us about them.

I’ve always loved animals and my first pet when I was young was a turtle. I got my first dog in my teens and have had a dog or two ever since. Now I have one dog, his name is Mordi, he is 16 years old and spoiled as he should be.

When did you know that you would be an artist?

When I was in high school I loved to draw. I also took a photography class where I learned to develop my own film. I loved watching the images appear right in front of me. After raising my kids I got into the digital world and bought my first camera.  I was photographing weddings for a while so I could upgrade my equipment.  I started going out into the desert and fell in love with all wildlife.  I will communicate with anything that is living. I started my love of birds about 13 years ago with hummingbirds.  Then I started seeing raptors and the rest is history. I spend many hours a week driving to different places to see what I can find. It’s my saving grace.  When my mom was declining, photography and nature was the only thing that brought me peace and calm.

What is your favorite media to work with?

I love photography and I love creating art with my images.  I try to get the picture I want right out of the camera.  I rarely adjust my photos but every so often I will crop or adjust color.

What do you do when you’re not doing your art?

When I’m not taking photos, I work in a mental health office as office manager. I’ve been there for the past 22 years. It’s nice to know I’m part of a business where we can help people.

I moved to Tucson in the late 70’s and fell in love with the desert. I call myself a desert rat.  I love communicating with wildlife. Most of the time I’m alone with my camera but I also enjoy being with my photo friends. 

The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better

Where did you grow up?

I grew up hard and I grew up fast in the vast desert of Tucson, AZ! I went to  Palo Verde High School and graduated cum laude from the U of A.

Tell us about your family

I’m an only child and my parents got divorced when I was 8. I stayed with  my dad, who is awesome, and supported my art career without waver. My  mom and I are close as well and my workshop sits on her property called  Tintown, one of Tucson’s greatest secrets. 

Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them

We have a golden doodle named Yoda, a beagle/pitbull named Ginny, and a  king snake named Medusa.  

When did you know that you would be an artist?

I was on track to be a baseball player, but got burnout big time. I received a  degree in English and Creative Writing and started teaching 8th grade  language arts…hated it. Started doing metal work for fun and it started to  sell. I knew I was fully in as an artist at around 25…7000 sculptures later  here I am.  

What is your favorite media to work with?

I love working with steel, the challenge of taking a rigid medium and making  it look fluid just lights me up. 

What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do (Tom’s way of asking)? Or, what do you do when you’re not doing your art?

When I’m not doing art I’m spending time with my wife Megan, or watching  my daughter, Sedona, ride horses. I also tend to love anything Star Wars.

Tell us about your family

My dad is from south Texas, and my mother is from northern Michigan. They met when my father was stationed in northern Michigan when he first joined the military. They could not be more opposite people, so they went ahead and had a Gemini daughter who most definitely feels the polarization of being raised by them! My father now lives in New Mexico with my stepmother and is the most hard-working and high-integrity person I know, and my kind and loving mother is my very best friend. I get my artistic genes from her, and grew up being creative with her and my grandmother (her mother), who also enjoyed making art. 

I have an older sister, whom I have looked up to my whole life. She’s older than me by 13 years, so we have never experienced sibling rivalry of any kind. She was the coolest older sister and my absolute hero growing up, and still is to this day.

Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them.

I have one dog, and her name is Lucy. She’s a mix of Australian Cattle Dog, Chihuahua, and Parson Russell Terrier. She’s got one perky ear and one floppy ear, and she’s white with orange patches. She was a rescue, and when we saw her at PACC we made eye contact and the connection was instant. She’s a quirky little thing! She’s super loving, yet independent. She’s very mellow but also high-strung. I always joke that she’s a Gemini like me. We’ve taught her that the signal for going on a walk is dancing, so all we have to do is start a little jig and she gets all excited. 

We had a dog when I was a small child, but other than that Lucy is my very first pet.

My husband and I love her so much! We’ve had her since March 2021, and she’s brought so much warmth and joy to our home. 

When did you know that you would be an artist?

I can’t recall a time that I didn’t know I’d be an artist. I think my abilities were recognized at a young age by my parents and teachers, so it was always supported and encouraged. I can’t say I ever really had a clear vision of what being an artist would look like, I just always knew I’d be doing something creative in life. The most exciting moment for me though, and one that I believe was pivotal in the way I perceived myself as an artist, was in 4^th grade when I began drawing my friends on the school bus during our morning ride. I discovered I was able to create a likeness of them, which was super exciting for me and busted my creative mind wide open. I realized I had the ability to make things look the way I saw them and make them recognizable, and it solidified in my kid brain that I was in fact an artist and would continue to pursue it forever, though at that age it was more of a feeling than a conscious thought.

What is your favorite media to work with?

I love working with acrylic paint the most. I like that it has a quicker dry time and can be built upon easily, that it is forgiving, and the textures it creates. I feel the strongest sensory connection to working with acrylic paint, which makes the process a very visceral experience. As a result I can get lost in the painting process more effortlessly, and the work always benefits from this sense of harmony. 

What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do (Tom’s way of asking)? Or, what do you do when you’re not doing your art?

When I’m not making art I am probably thrifting or antiquing with my husband. It’s one of our favorite things to do together! I absolutely love second-hand and vintage fashion, and I get a ton of joy out of adding to my collections of clothing & accessories. I’m always thinking of new and interesting ways to dress creatively. I’m in painting clothes most of the time, so sometimes I’ll get dressed up just to go to the grocery store. Any chance I get, I’ll take! I also enjoy looking at art other people have created, from gallery works, to hand-made jewelry, to driving around and finding things people have painted on their houses. I find inspiration everywhere! And finally, I love listening to and discovering new music, reading, dancing, singing (and practicing my singing impressions!), watching movies, learning about any and everything that I happen to be curious about, and finding ways to harness peace and serenity.

Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them.

I have a cute little kitty named IZZY. Short of Isabelle. She got her name when I accidentally picked her from the litter instead of the male I originally came to adopt. I got home and was like wait “Is-he (Izzy) a girl?” Pretty funny and so is she. 😀

When did you know that you would be an artist?

Oh, this is a tough question. I think when I mutually agreed to leave my desk job in 2013 after long nights of practicing my astro-photography. I was starting to get recognized and published for my astral photography pretty quickly and thats when decided I wanted to pursue a life of adventure, photography, and filmmaking. 

What is your favorite media to work with?

I love television and films. Creating jaw-dropping timelapses and photos are my passion right next to directing. There is nothing quite like immersing yourself in nature and creating something beautiful that you can share with the world!

What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do? Or what do you do when you’re not doing your art?

I actually do a lot. Growing up I was always into video games. I played a lot and still do and like to think I’m pretty good at it. It’s challenging when playing against other players and keeps my decision making tack sharp. In addition to that, I do a lot of hiking, traveling, and netflix binge watching. I love going to concerts and friend gatherings. I guess you can say I’m a balanced mix of being an extrovert and introvert at the same time haha.

Blending her fine art paintings with her commercial design expertise, she created the Addy Award-winning Desert Dwellers Flash Cards. Inspired by a desire to teach her son about Southwest wildlife, each card contains amusing stories about desert animals from A to Z and features Julie’s acrylic paintings. Local teachers, parents, and grandparents use them to promote literacy and teach children about their environment.

Julie’s favorite medium is using acrylics on canvas. Over the past years, she’s created a series of desert sunsets, landscapes, and animals featured in galleries, calendars, and cards in local retailers. You may have met her at the Made in Tucson Market, Tucson Festival of Books, or other local artist events. 

Julie was awarded the Tucson AdFed Next Generation Award for significantly impacting the advertising industry through leadership, career achievements, and personal qualities inspiring others to excel. 

She’s an organizer for Creative Mornings/Tucson and is active in Startup Tucson and Local First Arizona. She serves as an adjunct instructor for Pima Community College and on their Digital Media Advisory Board. 

Julie Bonner

The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better

Where did you grow up?
The gray, cloudy and cold area of Endicott, New York. Opposite our sunny home here in Tucson! I’ve been delighted to call Tucson my home for the past 20 years.

Tell us about your family
I’m an only child. My parents, Jane and Ray, were teachers in New York and were supportive of my creative endeavors. Supplying me with crayons and paper and putting up with my theatrical living room dance shows. All three of us played tennis which I’ve stuck with my entire life. I played for Drexel University and connected with Tucson’s tennis community when I moved here. Tennis eventually led me to meet my husband, Jeff, over at Reffkin (Randolph) Tennis Center. We wouldn’t have met if it wasn’t for our continued passion for the sport. Today we have a family of 5, with a few kids playing tennis too!

Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them
I’m an animal lover with allergies. So none right now 🙂 I do love seeing my friend’s pet pics on social, and a lot of my art is of our local wildlife.

When did you know that you would be an artist?
I started telling my parents I wanted to be an artist around 3. I drew on EVERY piece of paper in the house – including some important ones that were left out!

What is your favorite media to work with?
For the past 10 years, it’s been acrylic paint. In high school and college, I worked more with oils. Having my son, Syver, prompted the switch to a faster-drying medium…since I got back into painting more while he was napping!

What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do? Or what do you do when you’re not doing your art?
Spending time with my husband and our three kids. We love playing tennis, riding, and hiking in Tucson. We’re also proud of our new vacation rental that features my art, Bikehaven.

Joe Pagac

The Tucson Gallery Asked Each Artist The Same Questions To Get To Know Them Better

Where did you grow up?

I was born and raised here in Tucson. It’s been really amazing to watch the city change over time and really fun to be a part of so many different projects over the years!

 Tell us about your family

I have a really supportive family. My mom really went out of her way to let us try everyting when we were kids so we could figure out what we were good at and passionate about. Both her and my dad took roads less traveled when it came to jobs, and seeing that growing up made anything feel possible. 

 Do you have pets, if yes, tell us about them

I don’t currently have pets. I travel too much for work and for fun. I live out in the desert and if I look outside there are always a ton of animals I can watch. When I have time I like to foster animals.

 When did you know that you would be an artist?

I was always good at art, but I have a lot of different interests. I still don’t know if I’m going to be an artist when I grow up, but I’m having a lot of fun with it right now!

 What is your favorite media to work with?

I like working big. I like paint. Murals is a natural fit for me. 

 What do you do when you’re not doing the voodoo that you do (Tom’s way of asking)? Or, what do you do when you’re not doing your art?

I love the outdoors. I camp, I bike, I travel and see new places, and I hike. I just finished hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. It took 5 1/2 months. Up next is a bicycle trip across all of Europe. I also like costume parties and throw those when I have the time.