Tucson's smallest mural?

Over the past years, you've seen announcements of "Tucson's Biggest Mural" more than once. When I saw this gate on May 8th, I thought just the opposite: what's Tucson's smallest mural?

The guidelines on this blog are just that: guidelines. (Artists are too creative to fit just one definition.) Generally, the mural needs to: #1) Be more or less flat, though it can curve around corners and posts… #2) Either be painted directly on a wall or on something like masonite that's designed to be attached to a wall… #3) whatever 😁. What do you think of the “mural” below?

I call this a small mural that was painted on a board attached to the wall -- probably because it's hard to make paint stick to galvanized steel. (In case the scene isn't familiar, this is from the album cover on the Beatles' record “Abbey Road”.)

I crossed Jones Blvd. (without a crosswalk) to snap these May 8, 2024.

Spray paint villains :)

A bit west from 1st Avenue, not far north of Grant, is the fun mural I found on February 6, 2024. It is (or was) along the back side of the building that has (or had) High Level Smoke Shop. At the far end of the first photo is the Santa mural from our previous post, High Level murals. I'm not sure if either mural is still there.

At the bottom right of the last two photos, you can see the artist's signature: stenz.co.uk. (Click there to visit the website in the United Kingdom.)

Flag Day (every day!) on Randolph Parkway

An Arizona flag mural and a US flag make this home (a garage or storage shed, I think) perfect for Flag Day:

Just south of this is the home with its own TUCSON mural:

I took these photos from S. Randolph Parkway, not far south of Reid Park Zoo, at the corner of E. 26th Street, on April 24th, 2024.

High Level murals

I took photos of these murals at High Level Smoke Shop, 1st just north of Grant, on February 6, 2024. When I wrote this post on May 15, I couldn't much online about it. Have they closed? I did find a location far south, 4990 South Campbell.

Have the folks on 1st spaced out? I don't know, but I do have these photos. These weedy people are/were on the north side…

…and Stoner Santa is/was on the south:

Farther west (farther from 1st Avenue), on the same building, is a long mural we'll see on Monday the 19th.

A helping hand at Parent Aid (Murals being made, part 79)

Last time, we saw a mural downtown by Germaine A Pesqueria, New at English Salon & Spa. He started another mural in January 2024 at Parent Aid — on 22nd Street just east of Tucson Boulevard. I stopped by on January 28th to see the mural in progress:

He posted this nighttime photo to his Facebook that evening:

(He hadn't finished the left hand yet.)

A few months later — May 9, 2024 — I stopped by near sunset to see the finished mural:

The right edge of the mural, around and beyond the fence, is darkness (and also in the late afternoon shade here). Germaine wrote me that the mural is “a visual narrative of transformation and hope, depicting a young soul leaving behind the shadows of sadness to step into a radiant future filled with possibilities.”

Two closeups:

He's painted shadows of plants on the mural; there are also real shadows.

His signature:

New at English Salon & Spa

On November 19, 2021 we showed a mural by on the roll-up shutter of English Salon & Spa, downtown. On April 7, 2024, I noticed this new mural:

It's Audrey Hepburn.

Here's the signature from the lower right corner:

The artist, Germaine A Pesquiera, has painted murals in Tucson for decades. He sent the photos below. (Thanks!)

(I enlarged those photos 2x using Upscale from https://www.stickermule.com/upscale/. It's currently free to use a limited amount each day.)

Next time, we'll see another new mural of Germaine's at Parent Aid.

TRIAL: This blog's 2,000th post: Guess the Mural!

Hi. Thanks for having a look at this test blog post. I'm hoping to get feedback from people like you before I publish this for everyone to see — probably mid-July.

I've never made a “quiz” post like this one where readers jump back and forth. So I'm not sure it's easy to understand and use. If you have any suggestions, please let me know… you'll be helping people who see this “for real” next month. Please use the Contact Us form in the right (medium-green colored) column or email info@TucsonArt.info. Thanks!

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Want to test your knowledge of Tucson murals — or just look and maybe get a surprise? Read on!

Almost twenty years of murals

Popular newscaster Randy Garsee started this blog eighteen years ago: July 12, 2006. We publish around eight posts per month. Posts are usually about one mural, though sometimes more. Occasionally there are news items or announcements. (Here's more About this blog.)

The blog template is from the days before many people looked at online photos with a phone; it's really hard to change at this point. On a phone, please use your fingers to stretch the view wider so the main column of text and photos fills the screen.

Here goes!

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The game

This 2,000th post is a mural quiz. The first half — with sections titled “Where is mural #N?” — shows a series of details of (usually) well-known murals. Your job is to decide which mural it came from — then click the link to check your answer. That link jumps to the second half — with sections named “Mural #N is…” After checking your answer, click a link there to jump back to the first half. Scroll down to the next mural; repeat until you've seen them all.

Most of the murals are near downtown Tucson. (Mural #1 isn't.)

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Where is mural #1?

Let's start easy. This is from a large 2019 mural by a popular Tucson muralist who paints lots of animals and bicycles. Where is the mural?

Ready? Click here to jump to the answer for mural #1.

Where is mural #2?

This is another large mural. The face is a woman, but it's not a traditional portrait. Where is the mural?

Ready? Click here to jump to the answer for mural #2.

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Where is mural #19?

The mural has been here for around 20 years. Many well-known groups of people walk near it. Where is the mural?

Ready? Click here to jump to the answer for mural #19.

Where is mural #20?

This mural fills most of a city block near 4th Avenue, but you might not notice it unless you walk along that street. Where is the mural?

Ready? Click here to jump to the answer for mural #20.

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Mural #1 is…

Joe Pagac painted this mural in 2019. Tusconans immediately started believing that whales can fly. It's at the busy corner of Campbell and Glenn — currently partly obscured by a new Starbuck’s location 😞. The original post is Sky Islands (Whale Mural): Banner mural #2 of 5. (It opens in a new window or tab. Close that and you'll be back here.)

Click here to jump back to “Where is mural #1?”. Then you can scroll down to “Where is mural #2?”.

Mural #2 is…

Cyfi (Rock Martinez) painted this mural as part of the 2016 Downtown Murals Project. It became one of the most popular in town — partly because it's along busy 6th Street between 6th and Stone Avenues. The original post is (Downtown) Murals being made, part 34: Rock Martinez. (It opens in a new window or tab. Close that and you'll be back here.)

Click here to jump back to “Where is mural #2?”. Then you can scroll down to “Where is mural #3?”.

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Mural #19 is…

This is one of three murals by Salvador Duran near the southeast corner of the Rialto Theatre downtown. This mural surrounds the stage door. It shows quite a performance going on! The original post is **NOT ONLINE UNTIL JUNE 26** Rialto Theatre new & old, part 2 of 2. (It opens in a new window or tab. Close that and you'll be back here.)

Click here to jump back to “Where is mural #19?”. Then you can scroll down to “Where is mural #20?”.

Mural #20 is…

This Joe Pagac mural covers most of the north side of 8th Street. The top left shows stages of a butterfly being born. The rest has some normal butterflies and Joe-style surprises like people/insects riding butterflies. The original post is Long lost (by me :) Joe Pagac butterfly mural. (It opens in a new window or tab. Close that and you'll be back here.)

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Feedback, please!

I hope you had fun doing this. I've never made a “quiz” post like this one where readers jump back and forth. So I'm not sure it's easy to understand and use. If you have any suggestions, please let me know… you'll be helping people who see this “for real” next month. Please use the Contact Us form in the right (medium-green colored) column or email info@TucsonArt.info. Thanks!

Ant Dogg (not Snoop Dogg)

According to the Ant-Dogg Facebook page intro: “Ant-Dogg is an Independent Recording Artist/Songwriter in genres - Hip-Hop, RnB, Rock and soul.” Here's a mural in (I think!) Ant-Dogg's honor:

As always, you can click on the photo for a larger view.

The mural is on the east side of the wall around 826 W. Calle Ventura. It's a one-minute walk west of N. Calle Central through a vacant lot; the GPS coordinates of the spot on the wall are 32.247520, -110.984947. Here's a Google Maps link: https://maps.app.goo.gl/j1MRDuUM947pwJH9A.

Mural columns at Pascua Neighborhood Center

Drive a block south of Grant on Calle Central to see these:

I was there on January 27, 2024. (A sign just to the left of these warns that anyone photographing on or around the grounds will have their camera confiscated. This seems to be about ceremonies in the park behind. The park was empty.)