The art of giving

Monday, Dec. 17, 2007 | 7:09 a.m.

Something for Christmas. What to get, what to get.

Oprah suggests a KitchenAid Mixer, a Samsung Camcorder, Josh Groban's "Noel" CD and an HDTV refrigerator.

Television commercials promise that diamond necklaces are the way to a woman's heart. Cell phones, Wii and plasma screens will make the world happy, they say.

All these Sherpas guiding us through the mountains of mass production and rivers of kitchenware are so very, very helpful. But what if we should want to give or receive something, well, unique.

What, in the name of Santa, then?

Here's an option: Shop local, buy creative.

Erin Stellmon's wood, Lucite, paper and ink dioramas, on display at Trifecta Gallery in the Arts Factory, are worth checking out. The Parson School of Design alum, who got her master's of fine arts from UNLV and is working on a couple of public art projects in Las Vegas, offers visual commentary on Las Vegas' transient nature with three-dimensional works that include stars from the Stardust resting on a lunar surface and gamblers crowding a casino with the nose of a plane looming in the background. The series is among 100 works in Trifecta's "minumental," an annual mixed-media show of small works by local and national artists. Wendy Kveck's painterly oil-on-canvas melds the luxury of cake frosting and gore. Marty Walsh's portraits of Animal Crackers offer a darker reality of the fun little treat. Casey Weldon's "Native American Headresses" paintings portray models in stereotypical iconic headwear of Weldon's imagination. Last year the show's key word was "affordable." The works may be small this year, but they are not cheap.

Expect to spend $500 on a Tim Folzenlogen contemporary realist painting of urban architecture or choose among other artists whose pieces are priced at less than $100. If the paintings don't strike you, the artful knickknacks might. Walsh carries Herb Hoover's pewter crackers, cookies and ice cream bars ($13-$34).

Details: Trifecta Gallery, 103 E. Charleston. Hours: 11 a.m.-5 p.m., 366-7001 or trifectagallery.com.

Juggling Jesus cutouts, Venus Fly Trap wall hangings and Angry Gnome buttons. No, we're not talking about the Archie McPhee catalog. Ripper Jordan, that trio of Las Vegas artists who strive to make fun, affordable art, has moved its gallery into Vurb Magazine's office in the Arts Factory. The space is decked with Ripper Jordan's acrylic-on-wood satirical iconography, clever quips and original designs. Don't like the anatomically correct Pac-Man characters? How about cartoons on watercolor paper that the artists swear will be collectibles once they are really successful. Rethinking the banal with humor and juvenile whimsy, these artists also offer their own line of buttons, T-shirts and magnets. Who doesn't need a black rainbow wall hanging or a painting of a gun that shoots a cute little red heart instead of a bullet?

Even Ripper Jordan's own James Hough is dipping into the group's inventory for the holidays. The Venus Flytrap is going to his mom, Hough says. "I'm giving one of those to my mom for Christmas. My mom, dad, two brothers, all they're getting is Ripper Jordan stuff."

Details: Vurb Magazine, 103 E. Charleston Blvd. Call for hours, 258-8440.

Local art, design, literature, greeting cards and coffee table books can be found at the Las Vegas Paperdoll stationery store, owned and operated by Las Vegas native Anne Kellogg. Find delicate original ceramic vessels by artist Elicia Aslin and Liz Goh T-shirts printed on American Apparel. Local books include "Liberace: Your Personal Fashion Consultant" and "Joy of Liberace: Retro Recipes from America's Kitschiest Kitchen," Tim Bavington's book of paintings and Diane Bush's "Warheads," a photographic collection of war and media. Paperdoll also carries a vast collection of punchy or elegant designer stationery, frames, journals and Museum of Modern Art holiday ornaments and greeting cards. Can't find anything? There is always the "Jesus Hates it When you Smoke" ashtray, Shotgun flasks and Duct Tape Wallet kits.

Details: Las Vegas Paperdoll, inside the Holsum Design Center, 231 W. Charleston Blvd., 385-7892 or lvpaperdoll.com. Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Las Vegas photographer Jonnie Andersen's portrayals of Fremont Street prostitutes might not inspire the happy Christmas chatter you were hoping for, but this artful and sensitive collection of photos will have you considering the humanity beneath the gritty reality. The women were photographed in studio style glamour portraits, scars and all: "The Little Chapel of Esoteric Cosmetology." If you're broke or just feeling thrifty, try tracking down the November/ December issue of "The Believer." Not only do you get a fine collection of tattoos, you get a sexy centerfold (OK, not sexy) of 45 Las Vegas casino carpet swatches (from Bally's to Wynn) and a charming little essay on the topic by Alexander Provan. Also, find The Believer's Q and A with art critic, UNLV professor and Las Vegas resident Dave Hickey, who reveals some of his favorite artworks from the past four decades.

Details: "The Little Chapel of Esoteric Cosmetology," lulu.com/jonnieandersen; "The Believer," believermag.com

While checking out "Las Vegas Diaspora: The Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland," on display at the Las Vegas Art Museum through Dec. 30, stop in at the museum store to finish off your holiday shopping. The staff has replaced much of the consignment art with contemporary products that match the museum's mission.

Find 1/12 scale chairs, including the Eames chair, by noted designers in the Design Interior Collection Chairs (Volumes 1-5). The store also sells Josh Jakus' pressed felt bags (tote, carry, clutch and hold), Pucci vases, Steven Shein jewelry, sassy totebags, art books and museum catalogs. The store also stocks Buk essays, short stories, poems and pictures. If Valerie Solanas' "SCUM Manifesto" ($1.49) doesn't make a perfect stocking stuffer for your friends, then try the "Hobo Lexicon." Proceeds benefit the museum.

Details: Las Vegas Art Museum, 9600 W. Sahara Ave., 360-8000 (lasvegasartmuseum.org)

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