Around Town: Cards worth framing from photographer Murray Bolesta

Photographer and conservation activist Murray Bolesta has produced a series of handmade notecards highlighting some of his most unique and emotionally stirring images to celebrate what he calls “a borderlands holiday.” Bolesta’s holiday and seasonal cards are the result of the photographer’s passion and keen eye for images taken in Southern Arizona, many photographed in the borderlands, an area he says is under constant threat of urbanization and exploitation.

“I believe that nature is where all art had to originate,” he said. “My photography is unaltered reflections of what I see in nature. My photos are a keepsake of this place—this desert surrounding us that is so fragile and so important for us to preserve.”

Bolesta, whose fascination with photography started as a young adult, has thousands of images in his portfolio, but has selected what he considers the most, “emotionally evocative” to showcase on his cards.

With the help of his wife Agnes, he has poured through his photos selecting more than 50 that evoke a particular memory, emotion, or are symbolic of some special occasion with themes including Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

All the cards include envelops and are blank so that individual and personal messages can be written inside. Bolesta has also created a wide folding card that measures the same size as a business envelop. The cards are sold individually, in packs of six or 12. The cards can be mixed and matched. Large volume orders are welcome.

Bolesta’s holiday/seasonal cards can be ordered directly from the photographer by calling him in Green Valley at: 520-241-1280. You can see the holiday card images by visiting his Web site: www.cactushuggers.com/holiday. Any of his other images can be viewed at www.cactushuggers.com and are available as note cards or as individual framed print images.

Bolesta’s cards are also for sale at the Tubac Golf Resort Gift Shop, the Anza Marketplace and El Mercado in Tubac and Meredith’s Gold Crown Hallmark in the Continental Shopping Plaza in Green Valley.

rford@gvnews.com | 547-9740