TED Degrazia a RETROSPECTIVE TED Degrazia
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THE LEGACY OF ARIZONA'S MOST PROLIFIC ARTIST JUNE 2019 ESCAPE • EXPLORE • EXPERIENCE TED DeGRAZIA A RETROSPECTIVE TED DEGRAZIA: 18 THE EARLY YEARS North Rim By Raymond Carlson 2 EDITOR’S LETTER Grand Canyon 22 THE ARTIST National Park 3 CONTRIBUTORS Flagstaff By Kelly Vaughn 2019 4 LETTERS Sedona June Prescott 30 THE ART A Portfolio Edited by Keith Whitney 5 THE JOURNAL Superior People, places and things from around the state, PHOENIX including Boyce Thompson Arboretum State Park, 46 THE GALLERY and the man who made it possible; the history of the By Chels Knorr Tucson McCormick rose; and an eatery in Flagstaff where the tater tots are fried with bacon, jalapeños, green 50 THE PROTEST onions and cheese. By Matt Jaffe POINTS OF INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE 52 SCENIC DRIVE Marble Viewpoint: Just about every road on the Kaibab Plateau qualifies as a scenic drive, including this route, which leads to one of the most beautiful panoramas in Northern Arizona. By Noah Austin 54 HIKE OF THE MONTH Munds Wagon Trail: Just when you thought you’d hiked all of the great trails in Sedona, a couple of forest rangers resurrect an old wagon route. GET MORE ONLINE By Robert Stieve www.arizonahighways.com Photographs by Joel Hazelton 56 WHERE IS THIS? /azhighways @arizonahighways Hoodoos along the Catalina Highway, the road into the Tucson area’s Santa Catalina Mountains, punctuate a view of the distant Tucson Mountains. Jack Dykinga NIKON D810, 1/80 SEC, F/14, ISO 160, 600 MM LENS FRONT COVER: Ted DeGrazia painted Cowboy Rolling a Cigarette in 1970. It’s part of a small series of traditional American cowboys, but DeGrazia never displayed the pieces. Courtesy of the DeGrazia Foundation BACK COVER: Fiesta at San Xavier, a 1960 DeGrazia work, depicts a procession at Mission San Xavier del Bac, on Tohono O’odham land near Tucson. The piece is part of a series celebrating the life and work of Father Eusebio Francisco Kino. Courtesy of the DeGrazia Foundation 2 OCTOBER 2015 www.arizonahighways.com 1 editor’s LETTER CONTRIBUTORS The next month, in our January 1980 issue, we ran an ad that promoted an “Exclusive DeGrazia JUNE 2019 VOL. 95 NO. 6 Print Offer.” It read, in part: ed DeGrazia started out with Zilch. Not in “In the more than forty years since former 800-543-5432 CHELS KNORR the lowercase sense of nothing — a starving Arizona Highways editor Raymond Carlson intro- www.arizonahighways.com For this month’s story artist who will work for food — but Zilch, duced Ted DeGrazia’s work in the magazine, GIFT SHOP: 602-712-2200 on Ted DeGrazia’s Gal- with a capital “Z.” That was the unusual we have received thousands of inquiries from lery in the Sun (see The T PUBLISHER Kelly Mero nickname of Mrs. Carlson, who was Ted DeGra- readers who are interested in owning a DeGra- Gallery, page 46), we EDITOR Robert Stieve zia’s Brian Epstein. “Talent alone is not enough,” zia print. Now the artist has dedicated two turned to Chels Knorr, SENIOR EDITOR/ Joe Stacey wrote in March 1983. “Ted DeGrazia paintings, Red Blanket BOOKS EDITOR Kelly Vaughn who has a background might have been Arizona’s most illustrious bar and Feather Dancer, to MANAGING EDITOR Noah Austin in art but wasn’t familiar mural painter if he’d not been discovered by Raymond. By special ASSOCIATE EDITOR/ with DeGrazia before Mary Helen ‘Zilch’ Carlson.” Her husband, Ray- arrangement, Arizona VIDEO EDITOR Ameema Ahmed this assignment. “I took mond, was equally impressed. Highways has received PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR Jeff Kida art all through school,” Mr. Carlson was our founding father. Our editor emeritus. exclusive rights to the CREATIVE DIRECTOR Barbara Glynn Denney she says, “and I have a Joe Stacey was his successor, who added, “Make no mistake set of limited edition ART DIRECTOR Keith Whitney deep appreciation for its about this truth: Arizona Highways discovered Ted DeGrazia DeGrazia prints pictured MAP DESIGNER Kevin Kibsey creators. Nowadays, I don’t produce much of it myself, but I love to wander art museums and put him onstage.” on this page. They will PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Michael Bianchi for hours, and my husband and I have a small, modest collection in our home.” Knorr The initial spotlight was in February 1941 — we’ve resur- never again be repro- DIRECTOR OF SALES knew DeGrazia was an artist but hadn’t heard of the gallery, and she was surprised to find AND MARKETING Karen Farugia rected that story inside. A few years later, in March 1949, duced when this limited about 15,000 of his pieces are housed there. “To be so prolific, disciplined and committed WEBMASTER Victoria Snow Mr. Carlson reintroduced the artist: “Our art feature this number is sold out. to routine is incredible,” she says. “He painted a few self-portraits, and they each reveal, in CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Nicole Bowman month concerns the paintings of Ted DeGrazia. We have Available separately or as a set, the image different ways, how he saw himself. His art shows his respect for culture, his love of nature DIRECTOR OF FINANCE Matthew Bailey known Ted for many years and we know him to be a desper- size is 9”x12” on a quality weight paper with and the way his mind danced with whimsy. He was true to himself, and also to those who OPERATIONS/ ately serious artist. A few months ago we discussed DeGrazia a wide white border suitable for framing. IT MANAGER Cindy Bormanis were buying his work.” Knorr spent the past year working on a friend’s campaign for the with an established and successful artist, now living in Tuc- If you have ever dreamed of owning such U.S. House of Representatives; she now works as a full-time copywriter. son. ‘What do you think about DeGrazia?’ we asked. ‘I don’t know,’ [Maynard prints for yourself, or to give as gifts, this is your CORPORATE OR Dixon] answered, ‘but I do know that I want some of his things now when opportunity. Orders will be filled on a strict first TRADE SALES 602-712-2018 they are cheap, because someday they may be very valuable.’ ” come, first filled basis, subject to quantity limita- SPONSORSHIP SALES REPRESENTATION On Media Publications In all, Ted DeGrazia’s work appeared in more than 60 issues of Arizona tions. Prints are $7.00 each, plus $1.00 per order Deidra Viberg Highways. In addition, he was featured in National Geographic, on NBC, and in for postage and handling.” 602-323-9701 many other publications. His big break, however — the thing that put him in The prints from those two paintings would orbit — was when UNICEF selected one of his oil paintings, Los Niños, for its eventually generate $60,000, which, when LETTERS TO THE EDITOR [email protected] CRAIG SMITH 2039 W. Lewis Avenue 1960 holiday card. Millions of copies were sold around the world. adjusted for inflation, is approximately $200,000 Phoenix, AZ 85009 How do we get a piece of fine Despite his whirlwind success, Ted DeGrazia and Raymond Carlson today. All of that money went into the Raymond art into the pages of Arizona remained close friends who would occasionally get together for a night on Carlson Trust. From one friend to another. Highways? For this issue, we GOVERNOR Douglas A. Ducey the town. A legendary anecdote goes something like this: One day the artist Ted DeGrazia once said: “I want to be noto- called Craig Smith, who visited DIRECTOR, showed up at the magazine in a dilapidated pickup to take the editor out rious rather than famous. Fame has too much DEPARTMENT Tucson’s Gallery in the Sun in for a quick beer. They came back a week later ... in a new Mercedes, which responsibility. People forget you are human.” OF TRANSPORTATION John S. Halikowski March to photograph most of Mr. DeGrazia had paid for with cash. As you’ll see in this issue, which celebrates the the Ted DeGrazia pieces you’ll They were dear friends, each of whom admired the talent of the other. 110th birthday of Arizona’s most prolific artist, Arizona Highways® (ISSN 0004-1521) is published see inside. Smith specializes monthly by the Arizona Department of Transportation. Sadly, by the late 1970s, several years after his retirement, Raymond Carlson he was all three — famous, notorious, human. Subscription price: $24 a year in the U.S., $44 outside in this niche of the craft, and the U.S. Single copy: $4.99 U.S. Call 800-543-5432. UP- he came to it naturally. “When was widowed, impoverished and in poor health. That’s when Mr. DeGrazia Even more important, from our perspective, he DATED PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy has been philanthropically sanctioned their friendship. Through his attorney, Thomas was a benevolent friend to our founding father. updated to reflect the new changes in data protection I went to art school to study laws, including the EU’s General Data Protection Regu- A. McCarville, Ted DeGrazia established the Raymond Carlson Trust. Ironically, the beneficiary outlived the benefactor. lations. To read our updated privacy policy, go to www photography, I became com- In a letter dated December 19, 1979, Mr. McCarville wrote: “Dear Ted. Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia died on September 17, 1982. .arizonahighways.com/privacy-policy. Subscription cor re- pletely immersed in art history, spon dence and change of address information: Arizona Enclosed herein you will find an Irrevocable Trust Agreement. I discussed this Raymond C. Carlson passed away a few months Highways, P.O. Box 8521, Big Sandy, TX 75755-8521.