Murals by moonlight

I'm an early riser… when the weather gets hot, at least. Last week's hot spell and the full moon gave me an idea: head out just before sunrise with my tripod to try photographing spooky murals by moonlight. It didn't work out as well as I thought it might because the streetlights in the area I picked — Toole Avenue and north on Stone — were a lot brighter than the moon. But the photos were spooky.

First, here's a shot with the full moon in the sky behind this mural-covered building at Council & Toole. (Also check out the daylight version.)

Across Toole, on the side of the building that's recently become the new home of the Tucson Youth Collective (usually called Skrappys), is this bizarre collection of scenes from Tucson and somewhere in the Universe (which you also can see in daylight):

North on Stone, just north of the corner of Speedway and Stone (1122 N. Stone), is a mural that's colorful in daylight but eerie in moonlight/lamplight:

This was a long time exposure — a minute or so — which gave me plenty of time to walk in front of the mural and paint the skulls with a flashlight to make them brighter (as Tucson photographer Stu Jenks might have done). As always on this blog, you can click on any photo for a larger view.

No missing Nimbus

It's hard to miss the Nimbus brewery location as you drive by 6464 E. Tanque Verde: this mural fills almost half of the front of the building!

Update (June 19, 2016): I'm pretty sure the artist was Rock Martinez. I saw a Nimbus Brewing mural mentioned as I was updating our article Rock Martinez in the Tucson Citizen, 2008.

Update (April 15, 2019): I hear that this mural is gone. Google Maps shows a medical office there.

Tattoo murals

Tattoo shops seem to have murals on their walls... showing off their artists' skills in a big way, I guess. (To find more of them, type tattoo into the search box near the top right corner of this blog.) Here's the view at K42 Tattoo, 6142 E. 22nd.

Maybe a mural, part three

Got an ugly trailer surrounded by ugly stuff? A big piece of metal with a mural could be just the thing. Of course, when the design you paint is repetitive, you might call it a wall treatment, as I think the Tucson-Pima Arts Council would in this case.

This stormy-day photo is at 2968 E. 30th Street.

(This "maybe a mural" series continues on May 12 with part four.)

Maybe a mural, part two

So are mosaics on the ground or on benches — like the ones above, at the Pantano River Park at Lowe's — "mural enough" for this blog? Well, you know what I think. :) They're just east of Kolb on Speedway.

Update (December 2, 2013): There's a photo of the (mailbox-shaped) entrance in yesterday's post on the Tucson Mailbox Art blog, Pantano River Park (at Speedway).

Maybe a mural, part one

Depending on how you define "mural," these mosaic panels on an overpass might or might not qualify. (Here's what dictionary.com says.) I say that if it's creative and it's on a wall (and it's not just a bunch of taggers' initials), a lot of art lovers will probably enjoy seeing it.

Whatever these are, they're on Speedway between Pantano and Camino Seco.

Monster Mural on Country Club

You can hardly miss this mural on the west side of Country Club just south of Glenn. (Click on the mural for more detail.)

Got mural?

As I explore Tucson's side streets on my bicycle, I'm pleasantly surprised at how many murals I find in out-of-the-way places. My guess is that these small businesses and homeowners want to beautify their property, be good neighbors, and share their love of art with passersby.

Here's an example: a fence outside a home on Fairmount Street at the corner with Torino:

Boot Bunkhouse

Need some boots or "cowboy flip flops"? Head for a store with a full-length mural on its front side: Boot Bunkhouse at 5126 E. Pima.

The famous hidden 100-foot-long mural

For this 200th post on the Tucson Murals Project, I wanted to cover David Tineo's well-known Linda Avenue mural. It's huge — 120 feet long, I've read — and hard to find. When I got there yesterday, I spotted it in an overgrown lot, surrounded by a chain-link fence with NO TRESPASSING signs:

Here are some close-ups (thanks to my zoom lens and the amazing free GIMP photo editor):

You can see that it's worth a visit! Bring your binoculars. :( At least the artists' credits are easy to see. At the bottom of the left-hand panel is Special Thanks to all who Painted! Gracias ‘LaLo’ © 12/2006 – Tineo.

You might think of driving in on Linda Avenue, but the gate there was locked — and far from the mural. The easiest way to see the mural is to drive along Congress a bit west of Linda and take the next right into the El Rio Health Center. There's a wall along the east side of that property. On the other side of the wall is the mural.

(Update: The story of the mural, and much more about David Tineo's life, were covered in the Arizona Daily Star article The end of one chapter in artist's life, by Tom Beal, on December 26, 2006. The article says the mural is actually 200 feet long — appropriate for our 200th post, eh? Tineo didn't choose the images in the mural but guided the neighborhod kids through choosing what they wanted to paint. Some local artists painted the intricate parts, including Fernando Gonzalez at the south end, Ruben Moreno at the north end, and Tanya Alvarez in the center. And it quoted David Tineo as saying that this would be his last mural. His eyesight is failing.)

Update (May 15, 2012): This mural was covered back on March 24, 2008 on the Community Arts and Murals blog. There are great photos, too; the third photo shows the whole mural. The post is Something about Tucson Murals: The Linda Avenue Mural.

Update (October 1, 2014): Here's a story from the archives of the Tucson Citizen: West Side story being told in Linda Vista mural.

Update (February 28, 2019): Pima County Supervisor Richard Elías (District 5) posted photos and credits on Facebook.

Some of Stone's many murals: #4

As I was saying, you wouldn't expect to find many scenic spots on North Stone Avenue. Tucked away in back of Desert Sun Auto Center, though — at 2933 N. Stone — are these two dreamy scenes:

For a list all of the murals we've found on Stone (so far), check the table of murals — or try the search box in the right column of this blog.

Some of Stone's many murals: #3

Third on our tour of Stone near Ft. Lowell is Fast Lane Tattoo, 3101 N. Stone:

The mural is signed 2008, AtomikPaint.com. (That website wasn't working when I checked just now.)

Some of Stone's many murals: #2

You'll find this classy scene just behind the high chain-link fence at M&M Customs, 3040 N. Stone.

(Car subject to change.)

Some of Stone's many murals: #1

At first glance, Stone Avenue north of downtown doesn't look like a great place for a stroll. But, as Randy pointed out recently, it has a lot of murals! Art lovers, click on the map links in the posts on this blog, park in one of the handy vacant lots or on a side street, and check out the murals.

(The parallel side streets — 6th, 7tn, and Estrella — are better choices for bicycling. There are murals to see here, too! Zig-zag over to Stone on a connecting street to catch the murals there.)


This one is on the south wall of Artemis Design, 2943 N. Stone.

Update (May 7, 2012): The north side has a mural, too.

Flowers on Fort Lowell

This bright mural is on the side of La Especial Mexican Furniture, 2608 E. Ft. Lowell.

Plants painted and real

On a wall just south of Native Seed Search, 2130 N. Alvernon, are two murals of desert scenes. In front are some real plants:

Cactus and city at Corbett School

As you drive along Sonoita Avenue, north from 29th, you'll see this mural on your left, on the east wall of Corbett School, at the corner of 28th Street. (Remember that you can click on the photo for a larger view.)

Update (September 26, 2012): Here are three close-ups of parts of the mural, from the north end to the south, that I snapped today:

The bright parts of the second close-up are spots of morning sunlight.

Half-hidden mural

This mural, on a wall around a home across Sonoita Avenue from Corbett School (at the corner with 28th Street) was partly hidden by a trailer and an SUV when I stopped by.

Update (September 26, 2012): The mural is gone. The wall is blank.

Sky and space at Myers/Ganoung school

These two murals are side-by-side at Myers/Ganoung Elementary School, 26th & Rosemont. The second mural (below) is partly hidden by some bus-stop-like covered benches.

Mexican Tile and Stone

When you park in front of Mexican Tile and Stone, 1148 E. Broadway, you'll face one of their two tile murals:

Baby Birds on Broadway

You can't get much cuter than this chirpy mural on the west side of Little Sprouts Child Care, 1010 E. Broadway at Park.

Joe Pagac is back...

...with another mural on the east side of the Rialto Theatre. This one is for the April 23rd concert with The Avett Brothers:

More decorated bridges along the Rillito

A message two months ago covered bridges on the bike and pedestrian paths along the Rillito River between Campbell and Alvernon. Here are the murals east from Alvernon to the Alamo Wash east of Swan. Hover your mouse over a photo for the name of the bridge... and, as always, you can click on any photo for a larger view.

Fading murals on a vibrant school

I took these photos at Saints Peter & Paul Catholic School, near the corner of Adams & Norris, where students were playing and chatting near murals faded by sun, rain, and time.

Out West on North Dodge

On the west side of OK Feed & Supply, Dodge at Fort Lowell, you'll find these two murals. The first one is signed Ghost Murals, 323-2564. The second is signed P. Lira 97; that's probably Paul Lira.



Update: For a better view of the two windows at the left-hand side of the first photo, see the 22 January 2013 entry in the Tucson Daily Photo blog.

Mountains and Mutts in Midtown

This mural wraps around the home at 2419 N. Orchard, just north of Grant & Columbus. You'll see foothills and mountains along the alley, San Xavier and dogs along the corner near Orchard.

Update (February 6, 2022): Today's entry in the Tucson's Pocket Parks blog has a photo of two Little Free Library boxes and a bench in front of this wall.

Angelic mural on Santa Barbara

You'll find this inspiring scene in front of a home at 4067 E. Santa Barbara, a few blocks east of Randolph Park.

Update (May 20, 2013): Somehow I missed photographing half of the mural: the west side of the wall around the home. I discovered it on March 29, 2013, when I stopped by to photograph the mailbox (click there to see it on the Tucson Mailbox Art blog). Here's the rest of this gorgeous mural (which, I've found out recently, was painted by Rock Martinez):

Cheerful mural at Giving Tree

The Giving Tree Compassion Hope Center, 4650 E. Eastland Street at Swan, has a wraparound mural on two sides. Here's the view from Swan:

Update (February 1, 2022): There have been different murals here for months or years.

Better bus stop view

If you're waiting for the #1 or #17 bus after shopping at Food City, 22nd at Country Club, you'll be across the street or next to this mural. It's on the wall south of 23rd at Country Club. The neighborhood isn't especially attractive, and this mural could use some touching up too. Still, there are plenty of Tucson features and desert critters to occupy your time while you wait to board the bus.

(Don't feed the javelina.)



Update (September 3, 2012): The mural is badly tagged.

Cars, cars, cars

What kind of mural would you expect to find at Uncle Bob's Used Cars? Right: a mural with cars. This one stretches along Glenn, east from the corner with Stone. Here's the western half. (As always, you can get a bigger view by clicking on the photo. Return here with your browser's "back" button.)


For a view of this mural two years ago, see Randy's post from August 18, 2008.