Mobile monster mural

As our definition of “murals” goes, they don't have to be on a wall. Some of you probably don't agree, and that's okay. :) Here's one — or two — on a truck:

I found this munching monster in South Tucson on June 30th.

"Red Fuji"

The mural is inspired by "Red Fuji", a print by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.  Found on the south wall of the parking lot for Yume Japanese Gardens.

By Eric Carr and volunteers.

 

Click on photo for a larger and sharper image.

Las Puertas Community School

In 2010, we posted a photo of a mural from the corner of 37th Street and 8th Avenue, in the city of South Tucson, in Yes to murals! — when the building was owned by Tucson Urban League. At some time in the 11 years since, the building became a school. The school has murals on the walls along 37th Street, from west to east, then along 7th Avenue from south to north. There's also a mural inside the wall, around the playground. Here's a view, looking northwest, from the corner across the street:

(As always, you can click for a larger view.) Next, the mural from the far west edge (hidden from the photo above), then along the south wall from west (left) to east (right), then along the east wall from south (left) to north (right):

And the playground (photographed over the wall that runs along 7th Avenue):

I was there June 30th.

Nosotros Academy

This first mural honors Frank Romero and his wife, Lupita.  Frank created Nosotros Academy.

The subsequent two murals portray activities at the Academy.

By Alejandra Trujillo

Artist Not Known

By Alonso Delgadillo from Tijuana

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

Paste-up mural at Mr. Codd's garden

I saw a carousel (set of photos), by @JasmineAndCreosote on Instagram, of a mural in "Mr. Codd's garden." It was made of cut fabric stuck to the wall with wheat paste. The Instagram post is below. You can see the five photos by clicking the arrow in a circle at the right edge of each photo:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sprout (@jasmineandcreosote)

With all of the rain we've had, I'm guessing that the mural is long gone. The Instagram post didn't give the address. I tried to message the Instagram user for more info but haven't heard back yet.

Boys and Girls Clubs of Tucson

The elements of this mural resulted from conversations with the kids:  "What they love most about the organization, things they enjoyed doing and what imagery represents Tucson.....".

The mural was painted by Pen Macias, also known as The Desert Pen.

Click on the photo for a larger and sharper image.

Animals on the roof

Joe Pagac paints a lot of animals, but not (so far?) musical animals:

Thanks to BG Boyd Photo for that shot from a drone! The best I could do from ground level (from across 4th Avenue, with a zoom lens) — on August 10, 2021 — was this:

The mural, above the roof of Del Sol International Shops along 4th Avenue, is actually on the south wall of the new Union on 6th apartment complex. I took the photo on August 10, 2021.

From BG Boyd Photo, here's a wider view, plus a closeup of the signature at the bottom left corner (which I got with a photo editor from his first photo):

El Pais Motel

This is not your typical motel. The entrance is lined with pink flamingoes and a lyric from the B-52s. Inside are rooms with whimsical names, each with its own mural; vintage trailers; and even a swimming pool with a mural on the bottom. El Pais supports artists in any way they can, and artists have obviously gone all-out to paint great murals.

This mural, on a wall facing Benson Highway, was the first one painted here. The artist was Alejandra Trujillo (@atrujillo_art on Instagram):

At the entrance, from the B-52s (created by Gabrielle Ames):

Not far from the entrance on the left is the clubhouse. Here's what's outside, painted by Jessi (on Instagram @arterosas_, with an underscore at the end):

On the far side of the clubhouse is a covered seating area with a mural by Lyn Sweet (her Instagram has changed to @lynthesweet):

To go along with the vintage trailers — and the spaceship in the mural above — is one of the first electric cars. Randy L. Barton (@randy_boogie on Instagram) painted it:

Randy posted photos of the unpainted and painted car, as well as two videos of it being painted, on his Instagram. (Click there to see it. To see all, drag or use the arrows at right and left edges.)

Many of the guestrooms have their own name and a mural to go with it. From the front of the motel to the back, the first room with a name and mural is “Musician,” painted by Alejandra Trujillo:

Next, the “Comic Book room,” another by Alejandra Trujillo:

The Streamline Moderne room (after the art-deco style Streamline Moderne) has its mural by David Suggs (@suggscess on Instagram):

The “Casita de Khalo” is named for Mexican artist/icon Frida Kahlo. It's by Gabrielle Ames:

At the far end of the building with guestrooms is another mural by David Suggs:

The property was closed during August, so there was no need to keep the pool clean (from all of the dust blown in by the monsoon). The dust made it tough to photograph the mural on the bottom, painted by Gabrielle Ames… but there are (currently, at least) photos on the murals page of her website. The wall behind the pool has another of Gabrielle's murals, though… and yes, that's a mannequin in front:

The pool safety sign actually came from the previous owners, but it fit right in:

The motel's website elpaismotel.com has some fun photos, and the Arizona Daily Star article Mom-daughter team transforming Tucson trailer park into vintage gem has more info and photos.

The motel is private property with paying guests, so the owners ask that you not look around on your own. You can contact them for a tour, though. My tour was on August 2nd.

Joe Pagac paints his old neighborhood (Murals being made, part 65)

Joe Pagac grew up in the neighborhood right across the street from Himmel Park. So he was excited to paint a mural on the swimming pool there. He finished it earlier this summer. I took that photo of the finished mural on July 26th. (As always, you can click on the photo for a larger view.)

Thanks to BG Boyd Photo for these photos of the mural taking shape:

Here are the other photos I took on July 26th, from the left (north) end to the right (south):