Ted DeGrazia’s Midnight Sketches

Opens Sept. 4, 2026

Late at night while most of Tucson slept, renowned Arizona artist Ettore “Ted” DeGrazia would pick up a pen and begin to draw. Frequently using prepaid US Mail postcards and envelopes as his canvas, these small watercolored pen and ink drawings include time notations of their completion between midnight and 5 a.m.

DeGrazia began creating these works in 1955 and continued the practice for two decades. A new exhibit, The Midnight Sketches of Ted DeGrazia, brings together a selection of these intimate, watercolored pen-and-ink drawings, offering visitors a glimpse into the artist’s late-night imagination and creative process.

Opening alongside the exhibit is Saint Francis of Assisi, featuring DeGrazia’s interpretations of one of the world’s most recognized religious figures. Through drawings, prints, sculptures, and paintings created between 1950 and 1978, the exhibit traces nearly three decades of the artist’s engagement with Saint Francis and the themes of humility, compassion, and connection to the natural world.

Both exhibits open September 4, 2026, at DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun Museum and remain on display through January 27, 2027.