OK, another exception (for Cinco de Mayo): Nogales

OK, so this is the Tucson Murals Project. And our policy from founder Randy Garsee was not to show murals in places that aren't open to the public (that charge admission, that expect you to buy something like a meal, are in a private home, etc.). I may change that policy in the future. I've seen lots of incredible murals that are worth seeing in photos if not in person… especially once I convert this blog to a format where you can see high-resolution phoos (as David Aber is already posting).

My favorite restaurant just across the Mexican border, La Roca, doesn't need promotion. But a mural in the hallway between their restaurant and their bar, is very fun. Since today is Cinco de Mayo, I've cracked open my second bottle of Dos Equis dark (that's a lie: I actually don't drink much), so let's break the rules and have a look, ¿nó?

As you walk the hallway between the restaurant and bar (hint: try to get a table on the little balcony!), you'll pass the mural:

(It's actually covered with plastic, I think, which makes the glare you see here.) Click if you'd like a larger view.

Now for a few details. The artist had some fun with this one:

I'd guess that the white-coated waiters will let you in for a look if you're dressed respectfully. (And, from here, it's only a couple-of-block walk north to the little-used US Border Crosing station. After crossing, turn left and go over the train tracks to reach the main Customs entrance.)

I was there last on October 26th.

Beautiful trash containers

[First, a note about scheduling. I'm going to have trouble keeping up with the three-murals-a-week schedule of this blog. David Aber is doing what he can. So, for now, I'll drop back to two blog entries per week. Thanks to all of our hundreds of new viewers for following along!]

If you've been following this blog for a while, you've seen Coming soon: (not) trash murals and Trash container murals revealed. Back then, I said that I hoped to put photos of all five dumpsters online ASAP. More than a year later, here are… two.

Let's jump back to September 28, 2016. That's when I drove by this container in front of Creative Beginning Preschool, 2690 North 1st Avenue. I'll start with a view of the parking lot, then get closer (cropped from the first photo) and closer:

Next, let's jump back even farther to the east side of Scott Avenue, at the corner of the parking lot south of Wig-o-Rama, on on April 26, 2016. A tour around the container and the corner with credits:

Mountain scene hidden along South Fourth

We've had photos of murals on the front of South Tucson institution Sue's Fish & Chips twice now: February 3, 2010 and November 27, 2014. But neither Mark Fleming nor I went around to the back parking lot to spot the mural on a shipping container behind a mobile home parked next to it:

I did… on October 4, 2016. It must be a nice view from the mobile home's windows! (You can see one of the windows reflected near the left end of the photos above.)

Greetings

NYC artist Victor Ving and his photographer girlfriend, Lisa Beggs, are traveling the country painting murals inspired by vintage "Greetings From..."  postcards.  They get help from local artists such as Rock Martinez who painted the letter "C".  The images are: T-Univ. of AZ; U-Saguaro cacti; C-Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead); S-Hotel Congress & John Dillinger; O-San Xavier del Bac & Man in the Maze; N-Sonoran hot dog.  Photographed on Feb. 22, 2017.

On the east side of Miller's Surplus.  Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

The Arizona Daily Star article Muralists paint a Tucson postcard, the Tucson News Now story 'Greetings Tour' makes stop in Tucson to paint new mural and the Greetings Tour - Tucson, AZ web page have more information.

There's another “Greetings from Tucson” mural in our October 5, 2013 entry New @ 1st & Arcadia.

Update (August 24, 2017): Here's a March 17th closeup of the bottom right corner:

Update (August 10, 2021): Jerry Peek took closeups of each letter in TUCSON:

Boot Bunkhouse rebooted (groan)

Almost exactly seven years ago, we posted a photo of the full-length mural on Boot Bunkhouse.

Five months ago — December 11, 2016 — Mark Fleming sent photos of the refreshed mural:

The left-hand circle is signed Darah L Sueme 9/2014:

I've driven by there lots of times and never noticed. Thanks from all of us, Mark!

1957 Chevy Bel Air

Mosaics on the wall of New Way Auto Parts.

1957 Chevy Bel Air

Customized 1957 Chevy Bel Air

Photographed on April 07, 2017.
Click on either photo for a slide show of larger and sharper images.

Faces

North wall of an apparently vacant building.

Photographed on April 07, 2017.
As always, click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

Update (June 30, 2021): The building isn't vacant now. Inside is Tanline Printing. Marcus Robiason painted the mural.

Update (November 30, 2021): Today's post includes what Marcus wrote about his style and how he paints.

Victor's Upholstering

Photographed on March 27, 2017. Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

I failed to notice that Jerry Peek had posted a previous version of this mural on 12/01/2009.  He was forced to shoot over a closed gate.  I had the advantage of being inside the fence. Here's the link: Mystery murals

Mini mural Mecca near Mexico City corner

Here's the second of two pages of murals from Mexico. I was in Mexico City for part of last month. (By the way, the official name for all of the Federal District, which includes Mexico City, is now CDMX. It's like the way we North Americans call the City of Washington “D.C.”)

Anyway, head south from the Pino Suarez Metro station. (This is a 15-miute walk south of the Zócalo, but it may be quicker to hop on the Metro.) From Pino Suarez, head a block west to Calle 20 de noviembre. Then walk south again. Just before you get to Calle Fray Servando Teresa de Mier, you'll find eleven murals on the storefront security barriers. (Of course, you have to go at night or early in the morning, while the stores are closed, to see the barriers.) Early on a weeknight, the area was busy with pedestrians and cars. We felt safe.)

Here they are. I took the photos by streetlight, so there are shadows at some of the tops. The first mural has a pedestrian's shadow underneath the heart… that seemed kind of appropriate to me, so I didn't take another photo. There's a second heart on a barrier that's surrounded by (real) balloons. A couple of other murals have a planter between them.

The acronym CDMX gives me a feel of this vibrant, art-filled city. It's not all as beautiful or as safe as this central area (typically) is. But, if you ride one of the city's Metrobuses, trolley buses, or colectivos (shared-ride vans) — or flag one of the pink-and-white official CDMX taxis — in an area that's not gorgeous and stately, I'd bet you'll see public art, and artful graffiti. (The autopistas — freeways — are lined with it as you enter and exit the city.)

Mural-rich street in Guanajuato, México

In case you haven't gone much past Nogales or Rocky Point into Mexico, the blog entries today and next time will give you a taste of the fantastically well-done murals you'll find. This entry, and the next, are another of our occasional jumps out of Tucson.

We wandered off the “Gringo Trail” (as travelers call it: the main tourist routes), up several side streets, off Plaza Mexíamora until we found narrow Callejon Perros Muertos. I was surprised to see that, even off the main tourist streets, buildings are still painted in many colors, like this:

As I looked along Perros Muertos, I saw a mural or three. OK, we had to walk that direction. :)

This street sign is on the same wall:

Now, the rest of our walk up this short street. First, a worn wall:

A bit farther along are two murals side by side. The closest mural is the iconic Frida Kahlo; the second an amazingly-detailed tiger (as always, you can click on it for a larger view):

Here's the last mural on this short, narrow street. It's big enough that I couldn't get close. So the second photo below shows the mural above the door. The third is a closeup of a sign in the middle of the mural:

What we travelers need, I think, is a blog — or a photo-filled map — for every mural-rich city!

(Though I didn't spot any artistic mailboxes in Guanajuato — like the ones on the Tucson Mailbox Art blog, there was a shiny metal letter drop in the middle of a dark door on this screet: Classic correos in Guanajuato, Mexico.)