Ettore DeGrazia

The DeGrazia's family immigrated in 1898 from the Italian regions of Calabria and Campania.

His parents, Salvador Domenico De Grazia and Lucia Gagliardi, were strong people who worked very hard for their family of seven children.

His father and uncles were copper miners in Morenci.

DeGrazia's graduation from Morenci High School was delayed until the age of 23.

Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia (June 14, 1909 – September 17, 1982) was an American impressionist, painter, sculptor, composer, actor, director, designer, architect, jeweler, and lithographer.

Described as "the world's most reproduced artist", DeGrazia is known for his colorful images of Native American children of the American Southwest and other Western scenes.

DeGrazia also painted several series of exhibitions like the Papago Legends, Padre Kino, Cabeza de Vaca.

Ettore DeGrazia was born to Italian immigrants, on June 14, 1909, in Morenci, Arizona Territory (later the state of Arizona in 1912).

The family moved back to Italy in 1920.

The move was a result of the Morenci Mines closing that same year.

DeGrazia's father took his family to the only home they had – Italy.

The family moved back to America in 1925 when the Morenci mines reopened.

This is when DeGrazia paints his very first painting: 'Indian Faces.' It was a crude, cracked canvas piece, which DeGrazia admitted was not very good.

In primary school, his teachers had trouble pronouncing his name, Ettore, so they nicknamed him Ted.

He has been called that ever since.

Because of the move to Italy, DeGrazia had forgotten how to speak English and as a result, he was put in first grade at the age of sixteen.

He had to work his way through elementary school, Junior high, and high school.

After graduation in 1932, DeGrazia worked the mines with his family.

It was then he realized he did not want to live life as a miner.

He said that he couldn't live without the sun light – and in the early mining days of Morenci there was no open pit mine.

The miners went underground before the sun rose, and came out when the sun went down.

"I had a full beard and was twenty-three when I graduated from high school, into a world hit by the depression. I knew I would be underground all of my life if I didn't succeed at something else."

With almost no possessions, DeGrazia caught a ride, and headed for Tucson.

With fifteen dollars in his pocket, he enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1933.

He played his trumpet at night, and landscaped at the University of Arizona during the day, in order to pay for his classes.

He studied music and received his first bachelor's degree in Art Education.

His second bachelor's degree was in Fine Arts.

In 1936, DeGrazia met Alexandra Diamos while attending classes at the University of Arizona, and that same year, they married.

Her father was a business man who owned many of the largest movie theatres in Southern Arizona.

One of his businesses was the Lyric theatre, located in Bisbee, Arizona.

Alexandra and DeGrazia moved to Bisbee where he managed his father-in-law's theatre.

The couple had three children Lucia Anite, Nicholas Domenic, and Kathleen Louise.

Although DeGrazia was making a living, he was not happy with this work.

Any money he could save went towards art supplies.

Any extra time he had went to his art.

He was searching, trying to find his own style.

In 1941, Arizona Highways magazine began to publish DeGrazia's images.

He met many other famous, and soon-to-be famous, artists.

In 1942, DeGrazia traveled to Mexico City where he met Diego Rivera, Mexico's master muralist.

DeGrazia would eventually go back to school to earn a master's degree in Art Education in 1945.