🌸Flower Mounds at Tucson Botanical Gardens🌸

🌼Happy New Year!

I’m excited to be sharing a selection of new work at the Tucson Botanical Gardens in the new year! My solo exhibition, Flower Mounds will be on display in the Friends’ House Gallery starting Friday, January 13 through June 11, 2023. The exhibition will include paintings on paper, small sculptures and painting directly on the gallery walls to further embellish the space.

A special reception on Saturday, January 21 from 4-7pm is open to all. There is no entrance fee for the gardens to attend the reception, just let them know you are there to attend the reception when you arrive at the ticket booth or show them this email or another online invite such as this FB event.

Please come! I’d love to see you!

Tucson Botanical Gardens 2150 North Alvernon Way, Tucson AZ 85712

More info HERE on the Tucson Botanical Gardens website.

Feel free to contact me with any questions gjurasicpark@gmail.com.

Flower Mound in Full Bloom, mixed media on paper, 30x30”, 2022

A series of verdant, undulating, biomorphic work, Lex Gjurasic’s works are an expression of her exuberance for life, and a love letter to the natural-world. Her work aesthetically alludes to the folkloric floral motifs of her Slavic heritage and the joie de vivre manifested as she connects deeply to ritual, to nature and to the Queer virtues of radical happiness and celebration as a sacred act of grieving.

Poppy Shop Pop-up! And more!

💕Im so excited to be participating in the first ever pop-up with makers & artists at Arizona Poppy!!

✨Please join me at this Holiday Popup & Party! You can get your last minute holiday shopping in while supporting your local community and enjoying a FREE coffee or mimosa while listening to groovy tunes and enjoying the friendly atmosphere!

🌼 When: Saturday December 17th from 12-3pm

🌼 Where: Arizona Poppy shop 150 S 4th Ave 85701 - parking is free on weekends

🌼 Who else will be there?

@cleverstitches__ : handmade, stylish crocheted bucket hats, bags & more!

@discosaics : discofied saguaro wall hangings, ornaments, earrings & more- their first popup ever!

@novias_bakery_az : delicious cookies, empanadas & baked goods!

@sigfusdesigns : handmade, unique statement earrings and earth friendly home goods!

@sonoranrosieherbal : healing, calming, all natural selfcare, perfumes, skincare & haircare made from plants of the Sonoran Desert!

@studio.katagami : vintage inspired, unique, handmade ceramic mugs, cups and more!

✨There will also be a holiday gift drive box for low income teens ran by @loschiltepinestucson !

🎁 The first 15 people to come to the popup with a gift to donate to the box will receive an amazing FREE gift tote filled with handmade goodies made by us! Which includes a Daisy Chain tote bag made by ME!

✨It’s going to be a lovely day filled with good vibes that you won’t want to miss! See you there!

Also, mark your calendars in the new year for Flower Mounds at the Tucson Botanical Gardens! I will be filling the Friends House Gallery with flowers in Jan. 2023! More info to follow.

Pop-up REMINDER!

Just emailing y’all a reminder about all the fun we will be having next Sunday 11/6!

This is the ONLY pop-up I will be participating in this holiday season. And I’m brining a TON of Daisy Chain tote bags…$30 each or 2 for $50. Plus some other small pieces of art.

Backyard browsing, chit-chat and mimosas, how can you go wrong?

All the info is below. Bring cash or be willing to Venmo.

See you there! XO

Sale with Practical Art!

Hello!

I have a sale of small paintings currently LIVE ONLINE with Practical Art in Phoenix AZ.

Click here to shop the Sonoran Bloom sale.

Each sweet painting is mixed media, including cochineal dye, ink, pencil, and fine glitter on handmade paper measuring approx. 5x5”x4”. This series, Sonoran Bloom, is inspired by the rich colors and textures of the Sonoran desert. I even used a bit of cochineal dye, made from bugs that live on cactus paddles, on each piece! And every one of these glittery babies is only $100!

By the way, I’m still contemplating whether or not to have my annual online studio sale so you might want to jump at this one with Practical Art.

And if you are on Instagram, tune in this Wednesday, 10/19 at noon for a fun IG LIVe between myself and Practical Art about the work in this sale. Click HERE.

Good Stuff Pop-up! (again)

After the success of the Good Stuff Pop-up event last holiday season, Tawney of Little Toro Designs and I are back at it again! This year the micro shopping event will be at a new location (Tawney’s backyard) and the mimosas as always are still FREE while you brows!

I’ve been hand painted minimalist daisy chain tote bags especially for this fun event.

More info about the event and the other stellar participating vendors below.

Feel free to email me with questions, gjurasicpark@gmail.com

Hope to see you!

Howl at the Museum!

Recently the Tucson Museum of Art commissioned me to make a temporary installation for their ooky-spooky Howl at the Museum party! I’ve been working away on a fun, flowery immersive art experience titled Magic Flower Carpet that you can enjoy on Friday, October 28.

Tickets and more info HERE.

Sneak peak below. Don’t miss out!

Also please join me at Bookman’s Midtown for another fun (FREE) Halloween event. We will be painting PUMPKINS on Saturday, Oct. 22 from 1-3pm. Please RSVP with Bookman’s Midtown to join this 17+ event.

More info HERE.

End of Summer Updates

🌞With summer winding down I wanted to point you toward some fun stuff.

Recently I lent a quote about my favorite hidden gem in Tucson to the publication Redfin…so of course I HAD to mention the Arizona Poppy Shop. READ the article HERE.

And yes, I do still have original paintings at the Poppy Shop available for purchase!

Also a reminder that the exhibition ‘Vital Signs’ that I have an array of recent work in at the Tempe Center for the Arts ends September 11th. So you still have time to check out the show but like not that much time.

More info here.

Upcoming I’ll have work in an exhibition at the University of Arizona in the exhibition ‘Mapping Q Still Here/Still Queer.’ This is my first time exhibiting with UAMA so I’m pretty chuffed. And I’m totally proud to be showing work with the students that participated in the Mapping Q program that I helped facilitate as a teaching artist last spring. The exhibition opens August 20th, click HERE.

Now is as good a time as any to let you know about my solo exhibition I have in the works this winter at the Tucson Botanical Gardens. Yes, it’s a perfect match for my Flower Mounds. The exhibition will be in the Friends Gallery on the garden grounds and will run January 10, 2023- May 6, 2023. More info to follow…

Summer Spectacular🔥

The Summer Spectacular at Hey There Projects is BACK! AND ITS LIVE NOW till August 11th!

The 3rd annual Summer Spectacular group show will be at both Hey There in Joshua Tree and LA and ONLINE!. The gallery space in Joshua Tree has grown and features 4500 square feet of space so you know it’s gunna be packed with fun art. All the work in the exhibition is 8x10” FRAMED and ready to ship. I’m including these 5 stunning mixed media flower fields, which include iridescent ink and glitter, with the retailing for $320 each. These pieces will of course be available online to purchase starting NOW!

If you see something you like I encourage you to act fast! This show is always HOT!

🔥LINK TO THE SALE!🔥

PS The Mini MOCA has been in the news! Link here to read the article about the tiniest gallery in Tucson.

Summer Fun!

Lots of stuff going on this summer that I want to share with YOU!

Please welcome to the stage the MINI MOCA!

While facilitating Stay Gold last semester, with a focus on miniatures, I began dreaming up the concept for this project. With the support of MOCA Tucson and specifically the Director of Education, Harrison Orr this mini (FREE) museum came to fruition! The way it works is that anyone/everyone can take/leave art in the Mini MOCA at any time.

In my opinion it’s a beautiful extension of the already amazing educational programs MOCA Tucson has to offer. More info to follow.

But it’s cute so go by and check it out!

If you are interested in seeing ALL the miniatures and dioramas created during Stay Gold by the intergenerational LGBTQ+ participants you are in luck! All the super cool work (which includes my own) is currently on display in the Stay Gold Community Exhibtion at the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. It is some really excellent work and I’m so proud of this group. Thank you Mini Time Machine for supporting our Stay Gold artists!

Link to my IG post of the work HERE.

The juried exhibition Vital Signs is still on display at the Tempe Center for the Arts. The opening reception was so special! It was a lot of fun meeting all the other amazing artists and seeing their dynamic work. Big thank you to Michelle Dock for putting the exhibition together which is on exhibition display through the end of summer. I’m including some photos for the evening below.

Link to more info about Vital Signs.

You will also have another opportunity later this summer to see the art of myself, other teachers and students created during Mapping Q at the University of Arizona last semester. The University of Arizona Museum of Art invited students and teachers to submit art made during Mapping Q which will be on display at UAMA starting August 20. I will have several pieces int he show including one created from the wooden mound blanks that were provided upon my request to all of the students. I can’t wait to see the results!

More info about this exhibition at UAMA with HERE.

Glitter Mound, 4x6” mixed media on wood, 2022

Lastly I have TWO opportunities for your kiddo to take an art camp with me this summer!

I will be teaching the teen week camp at MOCA Tucson! All in-person camps will meet Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 1 PM, July 18-22. The cost is $175 per student. Students will learn stop-motion animation techniques in a collaborative environment while creating miniature sets, figures, and props with repurposed materials. Each camp cohort will produce a collaborative short animated film.

https://moca-tucson.org/class/in-person-summer-camp-2022/

Also through MOCA Tucson in collaboration with The Mini Time Machine I will be teaching a camp via ZOOM for kids age 8-12! During this virtual camp July 25-29 from 10am-noon students will make their own tiny worlds inside mason jars using repurposed materials. Cost is $80. Supplies kits will be available for pick-up at MOCA Tucson during open hours, July 21st to 24th. You will receive a Zoom link upon registration.

https://moca-tucson.org/class/online-summer-camp-2022/

Vital Signs in Tempe

Very excited to be included in the juried exhibition ‘Vital Signs’ at the Tempe Center for the Arts. ‘Vital Signs’ opens on Saturday 5/14 with a special reception from 6-9pm. The show focuses on environmental themes which will include a smattering of new flower mound works that I can’t wait to share with you! The exhibition runs through the summer, more information below and HERE.

THIS COULD BE YOURS!

I donated this beautiful (BIG) framed painting to the MOCA Tucson auction. I’ve included a couple photos below because it’s difficult to capture the iridescent quality of the piece in a photo.

You can bid NOW through Saturday, April 23 at 10pm!

Link to bid HERE! Good luck!

https://e.givesmart.com/events/ozF/i/_All/h7sX/

Chamomile Clump, 21x21”, mixed media on paper, framed, 2021

FLOWER SHOP AND OTHER UPDATES

Just some small updates about recent happenings…

Starting this Friday, 3/11 I will have floral landscape paintings from my series ‘Super Bloom"‘ on display in Santa Fe, NM at the gallery Smoke the Moon at their new location. New Mexicans go check it out!

And currently on display at Tohono Chul Gallery in Tucson I have a couple paintings on beautiful handmade paper in their annual 10x10 fundraiser. All the art in 10x10 is only $100! Proceeds go to support the extraordinary gardens and their programing.

More info on the fundraiser here.

Lastly, a reminder about my virtual Artist Talk coming up. Join me as I chat from my studio with the curator of Radical Happiness Jillian Nakornthap about the exhibition, the challenges of staying positive during the pandemic and how making art helps me cope..

You can register now for the event which will be via ZOOM here.

MEET ME IN CHANDLER!

After sadly having to postpone the opening reception for Radical Happiness (no thanks to Omicron) we are now ready to party!

Meet me in Chandler in Saturday, February 26th at the Center for the Arts for a fun event from 1-3.

This Meet the Artist (me) meet n’ greet as well as time to enjoy the exhibition will be coupled with a family friendly Make n’ Take activity. So come by! Say hello! And paint a flower pot!

More info here:

https://www.visiongallery.org/event/radical-happiness-lex-gjurasic/

Big thank you to everyone who has ventured to see Radical Happiness over the past month. Exhibition is up through April 9.

Virtual Artist Talk

Hiya!

I’m giving a virtual artist talk over ZOOM in conjunction with Radical Happiness. On March, 31 at 5:30pm I will be chatting with the exhibition curator Jillian Nakornthap about “Finding Levity Through Creativity” along with a bunch of other fun stuff. I’ll be in my studio in Tucson, Jillian in the exhibition space at the Chandler Center for the Arts and YOU will be at home in your pajamas with a glass of wine!

RSVP via the link below:

https://www.visiongallery.org/event/artist-talk-with-lex-gjurasic-finding-levity-through-creativity/

STAY GOLD ⭐️

Stay Gold is an ongoing intergenerational LGBTQIA+ arts program at MOCA Tucson. I will be facilitating the Spring 2022 Season in a combo of both in-person and online classes. Join me on a journey of self-discovery as we learn to create miniature and dioramas inspired by our personal narratives, internal worlds and emotional landscapes. The program will include a weekend field trip to the Mini Time Machine Museum of Miniatures. And I wanna eat mini food! New and familiar faces are welcome! No art background is necessary! Generous support for this program is provided by iLGBT Studies at the University of Arizona and by the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona LGBTQ+ Alliance Fund.

⭐️Registration now via MOCA Tucson for this FREE program:

https://moca-tucson.org/class/stay-gold-3/

Update: Opening Reception POSTPONED

Out of an abundance of caution we have decided to postpone the in person opening reception for Radical Happiness that was scheduled for this Saturday, January 15.

However we are hoping to see you at an Artist Meet n' Greet to correlate with a fun Make n' Take event (seed bombs!) scheduled for Saturda,y February 26th when (fingers-crossed) COVID cases subside.

The exhibition however WILL be on display and available for viewing starting on the 15th!

Stay tuned for updates.

And thank you for your understanding.

XOLEX

LEX GJURASIC’S RADICAL HAPPINESS!

Broken Rainbow, 12x15”, mixed media on handmade paper, 2020

The Gallery at CCA starts the new year with an exhibition from Tucson based artist, Lex Gjurasic. Radical Happiness will be on display from January 15 through April 9, 2022.

Radical Happiness is a collection of mixed media works, which Gjurasic created during the 2020 quarantine, incorporating a wide breadth of unconventional materials, using only what she had already at home-from sample house paint to mortar to Styrofoam.

Flowering Mound, 17x17”, mixed media sculpture, 2021

The artist, who finds the process of creating art to be meditative and soothing for her mental health, developed the series to relieve the anxieties and uncertainties of living in a country ravaged by the virus. Through the process, she disappeared into other worlds-amalgamations of imagery existing somewhere between memory and imagination.

"To me Radical Happiness isn't toxic positivity, it is coping. While creating my Flower Mounds series it was like a visual Prozac, keeping me afloat during the pandemic," says Gjurasic. "And when I noticed the levity I felt while making the art spread to those who experienced the work- that was absolute magic."

Flower Mound, 25x36.5”, mixed media on paper, 2020

Gjurasic's commitment to the safety of quarantine was unwavering; she began hand-making paper when her supply of other viable surfaces dwindled. To do this, she used, among other tools, a child's plastic pool. On this delicate paper, she painted rolling hills carpeted with flowers, creating part of the series, Flower Mounds.

Radical Happiness features pieces from the series Flower Mounds which she calls, "a love-letter to the natural world." The pieces draw from Slavic art's reverence for botanicals and a nod to her cultural roots.

"Throughout the creation of this series, I thought often of the delight and solace my Slavic foremothers took in floral motif embroidery on garments, decorated "pisanica" or Easter eggs and traditional Croatian silver filigree jewelry during tremulous times," says Gjurasic.
As the death toll of the pandemic grew over months and then years, so too did the meaning of this body of work. Gjurasic began to see similarities between Flower Mounds and the burial mounds of various global cultures. "Painting mounds of Day-Glo blooms shaped like headstones, I created a new and sacred space for grieving loss."

Join the artist for an in-person opening reception for Radical Happiness on Saturday, January 15, 2022, 4 - 6 p.m. The Gallery at the CCA is located inside the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Avenue. Open Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., and Saturday, 12 - 5 p.m. Admission is always free.

For more information on Lex Gjurasic's Radical Happiness visit visiongallery.org.

Contact me directly anytime at gjurasicpark@gmail.com

Embrace, 3.5x3.5”, mixed media on found vintage photo, 2021

Online Studio Sale Starts NOW!

It’s HERE, my annual online Studio Sale!

Ok newsletter subscribers you have just 24 hours to make your early bird sale picks for purchase.

After that the sale goes public to the rest of the World Wide Web.

This year’s offerings are 77 floral paintings on beautiful colored handmade paper. All the sale paintings, no matter the size are $50-$200! Shipping is an additional $5 with FREE locals only pick-up in the Tucson area. Shipping can be bundled at $5 for multiple pieces purchased. As always the sale is limited time only, first come first served.

Here’s how it goes, same as every year… CLICK THE LINK BELOW, once you have made your picks then quickly email me at gjurasicpark@gmail.com and arrangements are made from there. It’s always go too have back up choices in mind just in case your first choice gets nabbed. Please feel free to message or email me with any questions.

The Studio Sale runs NOW TODAY Tuesday 11/30 through the end of the week Sunday 12/5! And this is the early bird portion of the sale for first picks till tomorrow, 12/1.

http://www.lexgjurasic.com/online-studio-sale

Good Stuff *micro* Pop-Up!

I’m pleased to invite you to this sweet Holiday shopping event that I’ve cooked up with Tawney of Little Toro Designs. This outdoor event is in the backyard of private home in the Broadmoor neighborhood of Tucson, AZ. Check out the FB event invite here.

This pop-up will be the ONLY public event I will vend at this Holiday season!

(Online studio sale to follow…)

And to further entice you out of your pandemic hibernation we will be providing complimentary mimosas!

We ask that you please have respect for pandemic precautions and wear a mask.

Check out all the cool artisan vendors below:

Lex Gjurasic/ (ART) IG HOT TIP: I will be posting art that will be for sale at the event here as the date grows closer.

Tawny/Little Toro Design (jewelry) IG

Nathanael/Tu Kaets Pottery (ceramics) IG

Rosie/ Sonoran Rosie (desert herbals) IG

Amanda/Outspokin and Bookish (zine bike) IG

Shazieh/Agave Pantry (baked goods) IG

Elana/The Solstice Studio (textiles) IG

Feel free to email me with questions! See you then!

Lex + Meow Wolf

Deep inside the new Meow Wolf project Convergence Station in Denver, in the dank swamp biome Numina, inside an oversized spore lives my ART! When Meow Wolf invited me to be involved with this amazing project of course I jumped outta my pants at the chance! Viewers can play with animations of my art via a touch screen. It’s so cool.

Convergence Station is open NOW. So go take a trip!

Thank you to the whole MW team, specifically Caity for roping me into this dream and Brad for making magic happen. Also big thank you to Andrew Brown for helping me take images for the project.

🦐🍤🦐🍤🦐🍤

Spore.

Animation on the screen

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