BOUNTIFUL — Once again, the Bountiful/Davis Art Center (BDAC) has a wide variety of artistic presents waiting underneath their Christmas tree.

For its 2009 Holiday Art Show, which opens Nov. 20 (a reception will be held that night at 7 p.m.) and runs through Dec. 23, a light sprinkling of holiday pieces mix with a visually appealing array of styles and subjects that ensure every art lover can find their eyes that perfect gift.

Mark W. Robinson’s “Presence 3,” with a bright bluejay nestled in a teacup, manages to be both slightly unusual and surprisingly festive at the same moment. The bird’s feathers look soft enough to touch, and the entire simple but whimsical effect evokes the magic of Christmas without directly using any of the more traditional symbols.

Sherry Meidell’s contribution, “Plethera,” is a spring dream. The painting’s translucent watercolor tulips reflect sunlight like stained glass, swaying in an imaginary wind that feels like it must be light and free. As an added bonus, the perspective makes it easy to imagine that it’s spring again and you’re lying in the middle of the flowers.

Chase Leslie’s “Beyond” manages to be both modern and realistic at the same time, using nothing more than subtle shades of brown to create a set of distant, almost mystical horizons.

The exhibit also has an artists’ tree, full of ornaments and smaller paintings that the artists have donated to benefit the art center directly. Their size make the works fairly inexpensive (a few are even smaller versions of the larger paintings in the exhibit), and their variety makes even the paintings seem like worthy decorations for any tree.

There are also several excellent three-dimensional pieces in the exhibit. Both Tara Robertson and Chris Adams have their leaf-inspired pottery on display, with each artist taking significantly different visuals that express the same delight in the beauty of nature.

For Robertson, green is the thing. All three of her pieces – cup, bowl, and pitcher – swirl with rich green leaves too fat and perfect to be found on most Utah trees. The inside of the containers are also an array of gorgeous greens, from the rich dark shine inside the bowl to the more delicate spring green of the other two, that look and feel like the surface of leaves themselves.

Adams’ work, on the other hand, is rendered entirely in quiet, neutral colors. The magic here can be found in the detail, the pot’s sculpted leaves and branches rendered so precisely that each leaf vein and knobby bump of branch feels like it’s still growing on the tree. It’s a memory of summer, caught with delicacy and strength even after the colors have faded.

As the air crisps and the snow threatens at every turn, it’s an excellent gift to give your eyes this Christmas.

jwardell@davisclipper.com