9 artists to wrap up your holiday list
Support these MSU Denver creatives by gifting museum-quality works this year.
How can you avoid the stress of holiday gift shopping while supporting hometown arts and culture? Easy! Shop art and handmade goods from Metropolitan State University of Denver students and alumni.
Gifting original works of art has many benefits, including supporting small businesses, introducing yourself and your friends and family members to local culture and giving presents that are as unique as the recipients.
“When art has become so commonplace with mass production, you can get everything in every color from Amazon and Target,” said printmaker and alumna Jennifer Ghormley. “But those empty reproductions don’t have that genuine touch, look and feel that an original work of art has.”
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Get your hands on alumni- and student-made jewelry, paintings, screen-printed tea towels and more, all handpicked by MSU Denver’s Cecily Cullen, MBA, Center for Visual Art director, and Matthew B. Jenkins, professor of Art.
You might be surprised at how affordable artworks from museum-quality artists are — and your gift may even become an investment over time.
Javier Flores, printmaker
Javier Flores, MSU Denver alumnus and Front Range Community College professor, creates prints that communicate themes inherent to his identity as a child of Mexican immigrants, including culture, temporality, loss and triumph.
Flores was recently awarded a prestigious residency at RedLine Contemporary Art Center. You can purchase his work at the RedLine Winter Market on Dec. 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and get a peek at his new studio. You can also contact him through his website or his Instagram profile.
“Nurturing and supporting artists whose work you love … is enough to keep us going,” Flores said. “We’re doing everything we can to be successful, but we need people’s support to continue our work.”
Molly Quinn, watercolorist
After completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at MSU Denver amid the pandemic, Molly Quinn found success by showing her process on social media, growing an enormous audience of fans hungry to commission her work.
Her unique, enchanting style, depicting witches and fairies, adorns stickers, prints and journals — perfect for stocking stuffers, ready to be purchased on Etsy, Instagram and TikTok.
Jennifer Ghormley, printmaker
Printmaker and educator Jennifer Ghormley works hard at her business, Jen G Studios, while also making permanent large-scale installations for sites such as the Denver Children’s Museum or the Auraria Campus’ SpringHill Suites Denver Downtown.
Ghormley actively sells her whimsical screen-printed tea towels at weekly markets through the holiday season. She also sells at the Arvada Center’s yearly Fine Art Market, Foothills Art Center’s Holiday Art Market, the Boulder County Winter Farmers Market and the Deck the Walls Holiday Art Sale at the Carbondale Arts Center.
And if you’re not lucky enough to purchase them in person, her works are also available on her website, Instagram and Etsy.
Molly Bounds, painter and printmaker
MSU Denver alumna Molly Bounds’ talent was recognized when she exploded onto the Denver scene and became one of the youngest artists to receive a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Denver.
Her success has continued, with her work being shown in Hong Kong, South Korea and Australia. She most recently completed a prestigious residency at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center.
Despite this rapid success, her work is still accessible in print form, and she believes in people buying art directly from artists. “My favorite things were made by artist friends,” she said. “It’s refreshing to buy work straight from the artisan that made it (no corrupt ties, no middleman). So I try not to pass up that opportunity to support an artist I love in these ways that feel ancient, untainted and in our present landscape, maybe lifesaving.”
Contact her through her Instagram profile.
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Xtna Nelson, jeweler
Current Art student Xtna Nelson is going strong with her company Goddesswear Jewelry. Nelson’s website has a full shop of earrings, necklaces and bracelets, featuring beaded skulls and images of Frida Kahlo, and her work is also available at a new gallery and boutique in the Whittier neighborhood, Indigo Moon.
Ramon Trujillo, digital artist and muralist
Since earning his BFA at MSU Denver, Ramon Trujillo, a.k.a. Ram Jillio, has found success doing vibrant murals and public art throughout Denver. His website features a full shop, offering affordable and colorful digital prints on aluminum that would brighten up anyone’s home.
Lisa Lopez Huffman, painter
While working as a secretary in the Pulmonary Unit at Children’s Hospital Colorado, Lisa Lopez Huffman felt the bare walls could use something to inspire the families and kids. Taking inspiration from a phrase used to explain an X-ray showing a lung infection — a “pulmonary butterfly” — she created colorful artworks that could turn something worrisome into a symbol of freedom and joy.
Her website shop offers prints in your choice of sizes, framed or unframed. Currently, she’s working on a mural in MSU Denver’s School of Hospitality. You can follow her progress on her Instagram page.
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Emilie Luckett Tucker, maker
Another MSU Denver alumna, Emilie Luckett Tucker, created Hoity Toity Goods, which she calls a “creative dumping ground where anything goes and anything is possible.” That “anything” includes fun, colorful earrings named after other local artists and “creative making events” — the perfect gift for someone who has everything but could use more fun in their life.
Though the offerings on her website are limited, Tucker will be selling her wares at the MCA Denver Holiday Makers Market on Dec. 14, and the Mistletoe Market at the Dairy Block.
Katie Hoffman, painter and printmaker
Katie Hoffman’s paintings and prints are filled with rich color and texture, and she was recently juried into the extremely competitive and prestigious Cherry Creek Arts Festival. Still, her work remains affordable with prices ranging from $39 to $300 for the current sale.
Though she has comprehensive instructions on her website for purchasing her works, they will also be available in person at Edge Gallery’s “Cool Yule” exhibition. Hoffman has strong feelings about why you should purchase work directly from artists.
“When you buy work from artists, you are supporting an individual in your community rather than some corporate CEO,” she said. “Your purchases encourage artists to keep creating work, thus making this world a little more beautiful and interesting.”
