Writer Susan Kern-Fleischer

When Jess Davila was growing up in Huachinera, Mexico, his father showed him the cover of a round Tupperware bowl and told him, “What goes around, comes around.” It was an important lesson about being kind and treating people with dignity, but it also planted the seed for an idea that would later flourish and become a reality.

“He was teaching me that where you are from, you will return,” Davila says.

It wasn’t until later in his life when he was a professional sculptor, that Davila had the idea of creating an arts center in Huachinera. But back then, he had a lot of ideas, and one of them was to convince Judi Combs, a longtime arts advocate, to start a 10-week fine art show in North Scottsdale.

As the founder of Thunderbird Artists, Combs had been producing award-winning fine art and wine festivals in the Southwest since 1981, and she fondly recalls those early conversations with Davila.

“Jess had been participating in our festivals, and he was very persistent with his idea,” says Combs, noting that the artist was instrumental in helping Thunderbird Artists get started and has been an integral part of its success.

“I was intrigued, but I knew I couldn’t do it alone, so I enlisted the help of my husband, Roger, my brother, Dennis, and his wife, Judy. Our goal was to combine the aspects of a juried fine art festival, the elements of a gallery and the inner workings of an artist’s studio to create a 10-week immersive experience for patrons. It was also very important that we created a warm, welcoming space where artists could thrive.”

Set under the festive white tents on the southwest corner of Scottsdale and Jomax Roads, Arizona Fine Art EXPO this month will begin to celebrate its 20th season, featuring 75 diverse artists in 124 patron-friendly working studios within a 44,000-square-foot space. Artists work in their studios daily, and guests have a chance to see them in action and learn about their inspiration and techniques.

From Paint to Stone
A U.S. veteran, Davila had several other careers before he discovered his passion for sculpting stone. He owned a wholesale produce warehouse, a restaurant and a prop company. But he was passionate about painting, and in 1990, he and his wife, Coyito, moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he created bas-reliefs on walls and showcased his paintings at a gallery.

“The gallery owner worked with soft stones, and when he saw my bas-reliefs, he suggested that I try chiseling stone,” Davila recalls. “I loved it, and in a short time, I was creating sculptures as good as his.”

Davila continued to paint and sculpt when his dear friend, painter Guadalupe Apodaca, who is also an EXPO artist, gave him some unsolicited advice.

“He told me to choose one — painting or sculpting,” Davila says. “I’m so glad I listened to him. I’m in the studio seven days a week, and I feel like I haven’t worked in more than 30 years.”

A self-taught artist, Davila has earned many accolades for his contemporary buffalo, bear, giraffe, eagle, and sensuous figurative sculptures made from marble, onyx, alabaster, sandstone, limestone and basalt. He also creates Pacific Ocean wildlife, such as pelicans, whales and sea turtles.

“I love getting a new stone, and I take time to understand it,” he says. “I consider the stone to be like a human … some of us are stubborn, and it’s the same with a stone. I need to be cautious in how I chisel and grind it. Each one is different, and I’m constantly learning.”

Davila is still full of many ideas, but when he is not participating at EXPO or creating beautiful sculptures, he is busy running the arts center in Mexico that he dreamed of starting more than 20 years ago.

The Centro Artistico y Cultural de Huachinera sits on approximately 10 acres of land. Several hundred adults and students from the town and surrounding Sierra Madre region have taken a variety of art classes there, including painting, drawing, music, dance, theater, crafts, clay and stone sculpting.

He credits Combs, Apodaca, and many other EXPO artists with helping to create the center.

“Judi, Guadalupe and the EXPO family hosted fundraisers to help us get the arts center started, and they’ve been a huge part of our success,” he says. “In addition, Guadalupe and other EXPO artists have taught classes at our center. My life has truly come full circle, and I am grateful that I can give back to my community while also spending 10 weeks each year with so many people who have become part of our family.”

Bringing Generations Together
Among the rising stars at Arizona Fine Art EXPO is Ray Goodluck. The talented painter grew up in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico and is from the clans, “Mud People,” “One Who Walks Around One,” “Water That Flows Together” and “Blacksheep.”

While Goodluck comes from a large artistic family, which includes a long list of silversmiths dating to the 1800s, he was never interested in becoming an artist. Instead, he became a union ironworker, gaining experience in Albuquerque, Los Angeles, and then as a member of the Local 40 in New York City — something of which he is very proud.

“It’s not easy to get into the Local 40, but I was resilient,” says Goodluck, a Phoenix resident. “I was the first and remain the only Navajo member of the Local 40. I worked with them for five years on large projects, including One World Trade Center, renovations to Madison Square Garden, and Hudson Yard. I loved it, and I never missed a day.”

Everything changed for him in April 2019 while working on a large football stadium in Las Vegas. A serious injury to his knee left him wheelchair-bound and stuck at home.

“I had been very fit,” he says. “I was training for the New York City Marathon, and I was very frustrated with having nothing to do but watch TV and rehabilitation.”

Sensing his irritation, his girlfriend retrieved a painting set from the closet that she had bought for him as a Christmas gift in 2018. His first attempts at painting added to his anxiety.

“I tried to paint a horse, an eagle and a portrait, and I almost gave up,” he explains. “I sat there for a long time trying to decide if I would give the painting set to my kids and focus on getting back to being an ironworker, or if I would keep trying. I decided not to let the painting get the best of me. I realized that if it were easy, everyone would be a great artist.”

From that point on, Goodluck devoted all his time to teaching himself how to paint. He purchased an art book about colors and learned about the various brushes and how to use a palette knife. He started painting with acrylic and then began experimenting with oil.

The artist draws inspiration from his ancestors, his culture and the animals he grew up around.

“Painting is very therapeutic for me, and I’ve come to realize that this is my life’s purpose,” Goodluck says. “I hope my paintings will bring two generations together … our ancestors or the elderly who came before us and a younger generation who may not know or respect our history.”

Goodluck relies on his intuition when painting, and he often listens to music to get “into the zone.”

“I listen to everything from classical and jazz to heavy metal, country and traditional Native American music,” he says. “My painting style is peaceful and free, and my paint strokes depend on how I am feeling and what my instincts tell me. When you rely on your intuition, you’ll never go wrong.”

Arizona Fine Art EXPO
Jan. 12–March 24 // 10 a.m.–6 p.m. // 26540 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale // $12; senior, military and youth discounts available // arizonafineartexpo.com