Holiday shopping for art

By Kristen Peterson

Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006 | 7:12 a.m.

Mr. Claus,

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas. Hope you are able to find our humble city out here in the desert. We'll be sure to turn on a few lights. I know that you're wondering what to get us. But forget the shot glasses, Elvis paintings and poker chips. Despite what you've heard, we're not all about gambling, chain stores and monotonous interior design. Some of us like to shop for unique gifts that support and reflect our city's fledgling arts efforts. Oh, you hadn't heard? That's OK. Here's a little list to help you.

Art tomes

It's a musical time of year, what with the caroling and all. For those who would rather experience their music visually, "Tim Bavington: Paintings 1998-2005," might be ideal. The Las Vegas artist's vibrantly striped paintings of rock music pairs the 12-tone musical scale with the 12-hue color chart. Autographed copies can be found at G-C Arts, 1217 S. Main St. For the bleeding heart liberal in the family, check out "Warheads" by Las Vegas photographer Diane Bush, whose photographs of celebrity news anchors have been splashed with bleach to create fiery explosions depicting war, something Bush felt the anchors were glossing over. G-C Arts also has an inventory of contemporary art books from Jeff Koons to David Shrigley to Peter Alexander.

More info: www.gcarts-lv.com or 452-2200

Stocking stuffers

Know someone who is still seeking Norman Rockwell's American wonderland? Buy them miniature portraits of vintage appliances from Marty Walsh's hot-pink 1950s cigarette machine at Trifecta Gallery in the Arts Factory. The 3 1/2-by-2-inch giclee prints are mounted on woodblock and sell for $8. Perfect for the stocking or a gift topper. Trifecta's current exhibit features 4-by-4-inch works that sell for $150 or under, including Walsh's oil-on-canvas Scrabble pieces ($55), Tom Pfannerstill's plaster doughnuts ($50), Paul Moschell matchbooks, ($150), Casey Weldon's mounted butterflies ($140) reflecting pop culture, Wendy Kveck's painterly abstract works ($100) and Jerry Misko's neon abstracts ($100). Susan Futrell's sterling silver and measuring tape jewelry ($85 to $90) also make great gifts.

More info: www.martywalshgallery.com or 366-7001

Moving stationery

Paper Doll Stationery Boutique is owned and operated by a born-and-raised Las Vegan, who takes pride in her hometown by mixing local books and greeting cards with a vast inventory of artfully designed stationery. Find Christmas and Hanukkah cards - laser-cut, handmade, pop-up, humorous or dazzling - that you'd be proud to send. You can also find pop-up holiday ornaments from the Museum Of Modern Art, handmade ornaments from Kenya and holiday postcards you can send through your computer printer. You can also find Diane Bush and Tim Bavington books here, as well as local writer Dayvid Figler's low-budget copy of "Grope: A Fiction."

More info: www.lvpaperdoll.com or 385-7892

Supporting the arts

Holidays are rooted in tradition. So are cultural institutions. And they can't grow without you. Rally around the arts with Las Vegas Philharmonic T-shirts, golf shirts, sweatshirts, caps, visors and coffee mugs. Support the Contemporary Arts Collective, which is located in the Holsum Lofts, 231 W. Charleston Blvd., and purchase a $5 mug with its logo. What's more Christmaslike than "The Nutcracker"? Buy a couple of tickets to a Nevada Ballet Theatre performance and put them under the tree. Performances continue through Dec. 27.

More info: www.nevadaballet.com or 895-2787

Homegrown museum

Speaking of hometown pride, stop in at the gift shop at Las Vegas Art Museum (the city's only homegrown art museum) and take home a few souvenirs from its first year going contemporary. There are catalogs from the Martin Mull exhibit, T-shirts of Belgian painter Cindy Wright's "Bacon Cube" and the catalog for the Frank Gehry exhibit, which opens next week at the museum at 9600 W. Sahara Ave.

More info: www.lasvegasartmuseum.org or 360-8000

High-brow elfin works

Anyone who saw "Japanese Art Will Entertain You!" at UNLV's Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery and wondered, "How can I get my hands on Mayma Denki creations?" may want to hustle over to Unicahome, 7450 Dean Martin Drive, where its knockman collection of musical characters is selling quickly. While there, check out Unica's vast selection of hard-to-find design books. This high-end home design retail space is probably the only place in town where you can pick up a copy of "Utopia and Reality: Modernity in Sweden 1900-1960." Find home accoutrements and jewelry from some of the hottest international designers. (Right in your own back yard!) Toys include designs by Alexander Calder or Marti Guixe, whose Plant-me Pet - squeak toys made of biodegradable latex - have seeds for eyes. When you're done playing, return it to the earth and reap its fruits.

More info: www.unicahome.com or 616-9280

Get local flavor

Buying original art can be very personal. It's often best to let someone buy his or her own. But if you know someone's taste well enough, stop in at Third Saturday in the Arts District; you might see something you'd like to share for the holidays. Artists and jewelry makers will be selling their wares behind the Arts Factory at Main Street and Charleston Boulevard. Peruse the Arts Factory studios, then head over to the Holsum Lofts, 231 W. Charleston Blvd.

More info: www.artabout.org, www.theartsfactory.com or www.holsumlofts.com.

E xiles on Main Street

With an inventory of work by Ellsworth Kelly, Raymond Pettibon, Sol Lewitt and Ed Ruscha, G-C Arts is a place to buy quality prints. Two doors down at Dust Gallery, 1221 S. Main St., you can find original contemporary works by emerging regional and national artists who are gaining ground in the contemporary art world.

More info: www.gcarts-lv.com or 452-2200; www.dustgallery.com or 880-3878

Painting the town

Nobody paints Las Vegas' architectural landmarks - past and present - like Mark Brandvik, whose minimal depictions of the old Glass Pool, La Concha, Four Queens or the Peppermill pay quiet homage to these architectural legends. Jerry Misko's abstract paintings of neon portray Las Vegas' signature attraction in a whole new abstract life. Get to know a new side of neon. Brandvik and Misko are two Las Vegas artists who give a fresh perspective to the city we call home. Misko's work can be found at Blank Space at Mandalay Place.

More info: www.markbrandvik.com; Blank Space at 632-9399

Vivid memories

The city lost one of its favorite photographers when Don English died in April. He left us with a series of famous images of early Las Vegas. A photographer for the Las Vegas News Bureau, he captured all the early celebrities coming to town and the city's events, including the floating craps table in the pool at the Sands and Miss Atomic Bomb. The Atomic Testing Museum is full of unique gifts, including a magnet ($8) of English's Miss Atomic Bomb image, which shows a smiling blonde whose parts are covered by a mushroom cloud outfit.

More info: www.atomictestingmuseum.org or 794-5161