Mural alley in Nogales

Three blocks from the pedestrian exit of the main border crossing to Nogales, Sonora, is Callejón Morelos, an alley lined with curio shops and a few other businesses. From Campillo, the first east-west street beyond the plaza south of that exit (see the map below), this is the view:

Here are photos of the murals that line the alley, along the left (east) edge in the photo above, then returning along the right (west) edge:

(I was there really early. Someone was asleep in that nook. I blurred their face.)

The murals are painted on the doors to each of the shops. Come early to see them before the shops open.

Google Maps doesn't list Callejón Morelos. Here's a map with a red pin in the alley:

I walked through on February 19th.

Social-distancing mural hunt from #ThisIsTucson

The Arizona Daily Star's online edition #ThisIsTucson has posted another of their articles with photos of a lot of murals. They've re-cast this one as a scavenger hunt that you can do from your bike or even (in most cases) from your car:

21 Tucson murals to turn into a social-distancing scavenger hunt

With so little traffic these days, you might even be able to stop your car for a photo out the window… happy trails!

Cougar

Photographed on Jan. 12, 2020.

Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

Mural archive: Dry River

Wesley F. Creigh painted this framed mural on a corner where she's had other murals too:

I took the photo on April 12, 2013, but haven't published it until today.

Superstars on Ft. Lowell

I caught this mural at sunset. When I checked the front of the building (along Fort Lowell) to see what business was there, I saw a sign “unsafe to enter.” I wonder how long the mural — or the building — will be there?

The bricks, and the white areas that look like stucco, are painted on.

I took the photos on January 23rd.

Mural archive: mural in an arch

This tile mural was built into an arch in a wall along Glenn. I found it on March 28, 2013, but haven't published the photo until today.

"Chihuahua"

Lend A Bone Rescue Store

By Danny Martin

Photographed on Oct. 23, 2019.  Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

Mural archive: 3-D mural

On February 27, 2013, I spotted this mural on a closed business along Broadway, just west of Park Place Mall:

When I looked closer, I saw that parts of the mural were in front of the rest:

Cobra Arcade

There's a new splash of street art along the Cobra Arcade Bar at the corner of Congress and Scott downtown. The mural along Scott will probably catch your eye first:

You'll find more murals in the covered seating area around the entrance:

I love the UFO sombreros. :) Two other “Greetings from Tucson” murals are in our entries for October 5, 2013 and April 26, 2017.

Off the bottom left corner of the Greetings mural is Lalo Cota's signature. The Phoenix muralist has done more work in Tucson; click on the Lalo Cota link at the bottom of this post to see others.

I took the photos on January 21st.

Rock Martinez' Prince commemorative mural in The Washington Post

The March 6 Washington Post article Airport art doesn’t have to be boring: Here are some of the country’s most striking examples shows Rock Martinez' "I Would Die 4 U" mural that was recently moved to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. It includes an interview with Rock as well as lots of other airport art.

(The photo is from Rock's website, cyfiart.com, used by permission.)

Mural archive: Kokopelli and a blue sun

I've found a few old mural photos that I've never published here. This is the first — from December 13, 2012:

Revisited: Guadalajara Grill on Kolb in 2014

As I was looking through co-editor David Aber's Flickr account, I saw that he'd taken photos in 2014 of the same Guadalajara Fiesta Grill on Kolb that I had photographed in 2013. But I'd only snapped photos of three murals by Joe Pagac. Dave found four tile murals by an artist named Miranda. Here they are:

He took the photos on December 28, 2014.

"Exhale": Banner mural #5 of 5

This is the last in a series of five murals commissioned by Banner-University Medicine during 2019.

Photographed on Sept. 28, 2019.

Painting by Lalo Cota

 Click for a larger and sharper image.

Tucson heart on Oracle: Banner mural #4 of 5

Jessica Gonzales created this mural on the east wall of the No-Tel Motel. It's part of a series of five commissioned by Banner-University Medicine during 2019:

According to the This is Tucson article Tucson is getting 5 new murals this summer painted by notable Arizona artists, the heart the woman is holding in the mural conveys compassion and the feathers represent worries floating away.

There's much more of Jessica's work on her Facebook page.

I took the photo on November 24, 2019.

"Corazon Saguaro" (Saguaro Heart): Banner mural #3 of 5

 This is the third of a series of five murals commissioned by Banner-University Medicine during 2019.

Photographed on Aug. 27, 2019.

Painted by Phoenix muralist Lalo Cota

Click on photo for a larger and sharper image.

Update (November 5, 2024): Half of this became a political mural; the rest looks the same. There are photos in today's post Artsy mural replaced by (similar) political mural.

Block-long mural at 120 East 15th painted over

I just noticed that one of the more spectacular home murals in Tucson has been painted over. Here's a part of it:

I've updated the photos with much larger versions. You can see them all at: Block-long mural at 120 East 15th.

Sky Islands (Whale Mural): Banner mural #2 of 5

Second in a series of five murals commissioned last year by Banner-University Medicine, here's a huge mural by Joe Pagac on the north wall of the old Catalina Theatre at Campbell and Grant:

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

Right now there's a vacant lot between the mural and Grant. Sometime in the future — maybe after the Grant Road widening project is finished — this mural will probably be hidden. So don't miss it! (If you drive by, you can't miss it.)

I took the photos on November 24, 2019.

Tranquil Lady: Banner mural #1 of 5

Photographed on 9/15/2019

This is the first of a series of five murals commissioned by Banner-University Medicine during 2019. Read more in the This is Tucson story Tucson is getting 5 new murals this summer painted by notable Arizona artists.

Painted by Ignacio Garcia

Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

A desert treat along Treat Avenue

That's what you'll see along Treat at the northeast corner of 8th. It's the back yard wall of a home there. At the left (north) edge is a utility box that's part of the mural. Here are the two halves, north and south:

One of the homeowners was there when I rolled by. He told me a few stories of how he and his wife worked with the artist, Jaime Valdez from Sonora, as the mural took shape. Jaime worked from right to left. The homeowner wanted octopus tentacles, but there wasn't room on the wall… so he asked Jaime to paint on the side of the utility box at the left end (and said he'd take responsibility if someone doesn't like it):

They have a favorite desert tortoise, so Jaime added it above a drainage slot — and a gila monster on top of the cactus nearby:

Here are Jaime's signature and phone number. He's on Facebook too:

I was there on January 17th.

Danny Martin Mural

Danny Martin has painted a mural on the north side of the Old Pueblo Parking Garage downtown on Congress St.

The first photo was taken in Nov. of 2019 as Danny was completing the mural.

Photo by David

The next two photos were taken in January of 2020 when the mural was complete.  One was taken on a week day with many cars parked in front of the mural.  The other was taken on a Sunday when there was less congestion.

Photo by Jerry

Photo by David

Click on any photo for a slideshow of larger and sharper images.

"Living"

Artist Isaac Caruso created the design for the north wall of the La Suprema community building to reflect the history of Barrio Viejo.  It was transferred to a paint-by-number mural that was completed by volunteers.

Photographed Dec. 11, 2019

Complete Mural

Left Side

Center

Right Side

Artist, Volunteers & Sponsors

Click on any photo for a slideshow of larger and sharper images.