Field of (Mural) Dreams, part 1 of 3

South Tucson is one of the best places to see murals… including murals in places you wouldn't expect. For instance, if you feel like exploring alleys (a mountain bike — bicycle — is great for this), you'll spot murals that few other mural-lovers have seen. That happened when I visited Taqueria Pico de Gallo on December 16, 2023. (Those photos are in Tacos and more (and more) and Murals being made, part 78: Raspados y Mas (y mas).) I decided to drive west and discovered some murals. I got out of my car to walk around and… wow!

I'll divide the photos into three posts. Today: a long row of fences. Wednesday: an area (a former business?) that's repainted often. Friday: A series of 26 “alphabet murals” — from A to Z. A map at the end of each post should help you find that group of murals. Of course, murals change — especially here. So a mural you see here might not be there if you hunt in-person… but then, you'll probably find some others you like.

Unfortunately, I can't spend the time to do my usual careful editing. So, for instance, lines that are actually straight may look tilted. Sorry about that… so many murals, so little time…

Here's a long series of fences that start just southwest of Taqueria Pico de Gallo. First, an overview. Then, I'll take you west along the fences with photos of each mural — and, once, a closeup of an artists' signature.

That last mural is just south of the west end of 36th Street.

The map below shows where the murals in each of the three posts (parts 1 through 3) are located. Today's group starts at the lower right corner, just south and a bit west of Taqueria Pico de Gallo. You can click on this (or any other image) for a slideshow of bigger views.

Next time: Part 2 of 3.

More Xtreme

On November 14, 2023, we posted two photos of murals at XTREME Off Road & Performance. Here are more murals.

First, a view from the store's southwest corner along 37th Street:

The west side at the southwest corner:

The south side at the southwest corner:

At the northeast corner, near 6th Avenue:

On the west end of the service bays along the north side:

I took these photos on December 16, 2023.

Solar Gain

"Solar Gain specializes in developing, designing and building commercial rooftop, canopy and ground mount solar solutions across Arizona and California."

                                        Front Entrance

By Ignacio Garcia

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

                                Front Entrance Continued

By Ignacio Garcia

 

 

 

 

 

                                        

                                            East Wall

By Ignacio Garcia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Click on any photo for a slideshow of larger images.

Arizona Poppy

 Sells a large variety of handcrafted items.

By Hannah Eddy

Click for a larger image.

The east wall of this location is painted.  However, it is not a mural and therefore is not eligible for posting to the Blog.

Update by Jerry Peek: Our previous post of this building, Poppies not yoga, has a photo from 2022 and links to earlier murals there.

Hidden at Danny's

Danny's Baboquivari Lounge has been on Fort Lowell Road for a long time. As I drove by on December 17, 2023, I noticed the little mural on front:

I usually check the sides of a building for other murals. In a crack between Danny's west wall and the taller building west of Danny's was an old mural:

If you click or tap on that photo, you may be able to stretch it out and see what looks like a dusty desert scene; above it is a kind-of arrow-shaped sign pointing to the right, like > BABOQUIVARI >.

Could I find the whole mural by searching Google Maps Street View for a photo before the bigger building blocked Danny's mural? The oldest image I could find was this blurry one from February 2008:



Some day I'll stop by Danny's and ask if they have an old photo. If they do, I'll update this post.

Salvador Duran and El Tour de Tucson

At the end of October, 2023, Joe Pagac was replacing a well-known mural which had been in that spot for about six years. Below is a story of the new mural, photos of the old mural, and something surprising Joe did after he finished the new mural.

The original mural

First, the mural painted in 2017 by Diego Roa. It shows Tucson artist Salvador Duran:

Thanks to BG Boyd Photography and his mural database TucsonAZMurals.com for that photo (taken from https://tucsonazmurals.com/murals/salvador_duran.) It looks like someone may have painted something between Salvador's hands since the mural was created… an older closeup below doesn't have the blob.

You can see the mural in 2017, a photo of Salvador and a bit of his story, and more info, in the original post on this blog: Parking lot morphs into cracked earth.

The new mural is coming…

On October 31, 2023, Joe posted a photo to Facebook with his car in front of part of the new mural:



(If you can't see that, here's a link to the Facebook post.)

The new mural

I took these photos near sunrise on December 16, 2023:

Murals are usually replaced after some period of time. This one had been here six years. Still, I was a bit sad that the portrait of Salvador Duran was gone. So I was surprised and happy when I read on the Facebook group Tucson Murals and Street Art that Joe had painted the same portrait on the Toole Avenue side of Hotel Congress:

In case you'd like to see the original and Joe's re-creation side by side, here they are. As always, you can click on the (single) image below to see it and others much larger:

(The exposure on Joe's version — to the right — might not be correct. The bottom looks pretty dark to me.)

Neighborhood art on Vine Avenue (some hidden)

On November 12, 2023, I got mail from a homeowner in the Jefferson Park neighborhood, Micheal Hailey. There was a new mural, plus a small piece of art, painted by Ignacio Garcia. Micheal wrote:

The mural is on an exterior wall [of my home] and is visible to the public. Ignacio and I felt that anyone should be able to see it. My neighbors are supportive and you are welcome to come by any time to see it.

The mural is on the west side of Vine Avenue, north of the corner of Waverly Street. A rough street address for your GPS is 2001 N. Vine Ave. I stopped by on February 4th:

Just north of the mural is a small work of art that Ignacio installed toward the end of 2023:

Micheal wrote more about it later:

The scorpion was done by Ignacio. He placed that there a few months ago and has created many others that look just like that but with varying colors. It glows in the dark. It is his intention to hide them all over town.

I found a video on Ignacio's Facebook page showing him with a lot of his different scorpions:

Comida del Barrio una otra vez

We showed a photo of this unusual little building on December 1, 2023, in Comida del Barrio. We're back there one more time with some close-ups. But first, a photo on October 3, 2023 while XICANITA is painting (the artist's Instagram account is @ahhdehleenart):

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by XICANITA (@ahhdehleenart)

(If you can't see that, try this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cx85u8-yHkO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==)

Next, photos I took on December 16, 2023:

Don't rush through Auto Wash Express

This place may be fast for washing your vehicle, but you might want to take your time looking at the detailed mural on the west side. (This is next door to the murals at My Little Angels (on St. Marys). You could spend more time smiling at all the cartoon characters there.)

I took the photos on December 16, 2023. The mural is by XICANITA (Adelynn Olea). Here's an in-progress photo on November 4, 2023 from the artist's Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by XICANITA (@ahhdehleenart)

If you can't see that, here's a direct link: https://www.instagram.com/p/CzPeKCBvXFE/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==.

Desert UFOs

A long wall divided by a driveway.

There is no artist's signature.  However, the artistry resembles other murals by Danny Martin.

Click on either photo for larger images.

03/16/2024 - Artist confirmed as Danny Martin.  Mural appears on his Instagram.

Maviri Vibe Vortex

This long mural covers the entire east side of the office of Darin Guthrie CPA, LLC:

Darin sent email about the mural:

When I purchased the building on March 31, 2022, I knew that the wall was perfect for a mural. Having worked with Felix Lawrence in the past on another art project, and knowing that he was involved in the local mural scene, I asked him if he would be interested in putting his talents on display on my wall. After discussing a few options, we agreed on the mural you now see, which, as I understand it, is based on an aerial photo of the wind patterns reflected in sand dunes near Sinaloa, and was completed in June of 2022.

I have received numerous comments from friends and clients about the mural, many of whom mistakenly assumed it is based on an animal pattern, such as a tiger or leopard. It gives me pleasure to share that, no, it is not an animal print, but a geographic study. I have always felt that art should be a bit on the ambiguous side, so viewers can project some of themselves into it and question if they truly understand the intent, and Felix has achieved that! I have no plans to replace the mural, although someday I may do so if the right artist and idea comes along.

There's an aging small sign at the right edge:

The two QR codes wouldn't scan with my phone. I got in touch with the artist, Felix Lawrence. It turns out that the codes aren't about the mural. The first is a link to a story on KOLD TV News: City of Tucson removes mural on private property without consent; much of the story is an interview with Felix. The second opens a folder of files on Google Drive… I won't include it here. If you'd like the link, please send me a comment (with the “Contact us” form at the far right of this blog page) and I'll email it to you.

Mildred & Dildred

The mural is on the front (east) side of Mildred & Dildred toy store. The entire team at Turtle's Soup worked on it around the start of 2023; the mural concept/design itself came from one of their artists, Stefany Schumack. I took the photo December 17, 2023.

Update (September 7, 2024): The Arizona Daily Star published this story on their website tucson.com today: Local toy shop Mildred & Dildred has been thriving for nearly two decades.