Archive All Issues April 1996

Women in the West

"No other breed of men on Earth respects women more''n the range man," says Ramon F. Adams. "He places her on a high fence because he wants to look up to her." Follow Adams'' humorous tale as he tells us just how "seriously" women have always affected the American cowboy.

Featured in the April 1996 Issue of Arizona Highways

De Grazia A PORTRAIT KATERI TEKAWITHA 1979 BRONZE 3' HIGH

DeGrazia anecdote or comment on a beloved piece of work. From the room that holds the artist's stunning bullfight collection, we exit the gallery through a hornedtoad-decorated door. Marion leaves me with a smile: “Thanks for sharing the story.” The gallery is about to close, but I'm not ready to go home. Instead I linger by a creosote bush, recalling the lines that DeGrazia once wrote about meeting a friendly specter in the desert: “No longer did I feel alone. Very surely, I had the comforting thought that someone was near me. I couldn't see anyone. But I could sense their presence.” A breeze rustles through the creosote, releasing a pungent, waxy fragrance. I think I sense a bold, artistic spirit. Do others feel it too? People are filing out of the gallery, carrying bags filled with DeGrazia prints and cards. Whether or not they sense the artist's spirit, they feel the need to let his shimmering colors brighten their lives. In homes and offices across America, DeGrazia's quirky genius is too full of life to die.

Author's Note: In Tucson you can see Kateri and many other works by the artist in DeGrazia's Gallery in the Sun at 6300 N. Swan Road. The gallery is open daily from 10 A.M. to 4 P.M., and admission is free. For information, call (520) 299-9191. In Phoenix you can see DeGrazia's statue of Kateri in the east alcove in Saint Francis Xavier Church at 4715 N. Central Ave. The church is open daily from 6 A.M. to 6 P.M.