News from Mary's street

A gloomy, cloudy day (October 11, 2012, when I took the photos below) is kind of appropriate for this holiday blog entry. I was near Glenn & Country Club on that gray day two months ago, and I decided to brighten things up by visiting some of my favorite murals in Tucson on Mary's street (at 2939 E. Monte Vista... click there for an aerial view from Google Maps).

As I rode in on my bike, I realized that I hadn't photographed the east side of the house. Here's what I saw:

The left side of that photo is on my 2010 blog post, but I hadn't included the wall on the right (east) side. The house, in the background, looked really interesting. So I walked along the east wall to check it out. What I found was...

...overgrowth, no water in the swimming pool, peeling paint... how sad. At that point in time, though, I didn't know why the creatively-painted home looked run-down.

Fast-forward to December 18th — six days ago. I got email from Blogger saying that someone named Crystal had commented on the 2010 post. She'd also sent me a personal email message. I approved the comment and also posted a reply. (If you didn't notice them, you can jump to the comments by clicking there.) I was happy to know the story of another mural in Tucson [so many murals have no story, not even the artist name(s)]... but I was saddened to read that Crystal's mother Mary had been evicted from the home that she'd painted so lovingly... even worse, near Christmas. Crystal says that her mother is struggling to find a place to live.

She also told me about Mary's Facebook photo page filled with her mom's exuberant art. Please have a look!

I drove by the home again two days ago (the 22nd) to take some photos for Crystal and her family (including Mary). There was a passenger truck in the driveway, so I guessed that someone has moved in — and that Mary is out for good. If you know better, though — or you have any advice for artists who've been kicked out of their homes — please email me or post a comment below; I'll send your news on to Crystal.

The holidays aren't always joyful :(, but I hope yours are great! Thanks for reading this blog... your interest encourages me to keep doing it.

Update (January 11, 2013): Crystal wrote to say her mother “has received some possible ‘leads’ for some painting jobs and she’s eager to get started.” She asked me if I'd share Mary's phone number: 520 991 5336. And she mentioned Mary's Facebook gallery (click there if you'd like to see it).

Update (March 26, 2013): Mary has been evicted. A message and poem from her daughter Crystal — as well as some photos of their former home — are on today's post, Sad news from Mary's Street.