Long lost (by me :) Joe Pagac butterfly mural

Tucson has so many murals that it's easy to lose track. David Aber and I share a spreadsheet listing murals to post on this blog, but sometimes I forget to add a mural. That happened with this mural. Joe painted it in 2019. The photos are from April 12, 2020. Last week, I started looking for them on the blog. Oops.

One advantage of my forgetting is that these photos show the mural when it was almost new. By now, four years later, the mural has started to fade.

First, the whole mural — which fills almost the whole block of 8th Street from 4th Avenue to Hoff Avenue:

If you stand close, you'll notice that the top left corner of the mural shows the stages of the butterfly's life:

Even closer:

The left side of the mural, to the left of the glass doors:

Middle of the mural:

Right side:

If you're looking at this on a small screen, you might not notice the people riding giant butterflies or the prickly pear cactus pads flying as if they were butterflies. (As always, you can click on a photo for a slideshow of larger views.)

Field of (Alphabet Mural) Dreams, part 3 of 3

This is the third in a series of three posts about murals west of Taqueria Pico de Gallo on 6th Avenue. (The previous post was Field of (Mural) Dreams, part 2 of 3.) There's a series of 26 murals, each with a stylized letter A through Z. This is a bit off the beaten path, but I think you'll see that it's worth a visit!

Pen Macias (The Desert Pen) wrote on Facebook: “Sal of Wagon Burner Arts organized this as a birthday gift to his son. I believe 26 different artists participated.” I'm trying to find the artists. If you know any, please leave a comment at the end of the post (you can remain anonymous) or use the Contact Us form at the right edge.

The mural runs from east to west, starting at the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street. (To get there from 6th Avenue, turn west on 38th Street, then go north two blocks.) There's a satellite view map at the end of this post. Let's start the photos with an overview from the east end:

Part of the fun is deciding what the mural around a letter represents. For instance, I think that C is for Coyote.

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

I closeup

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q by Coda one

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z by Coda one

The map below shows where the murals in each of the three posts (parts 1 through 3) are located. Today's group is at the top left corner of the map. You can click on this (or any other image) for a slideshow of bigger views.

By the way, if you're in a car, 36th Street ends for a short distance not far west of 6th Avenue. You might want to park on 36th near 6th Avenue and walk — instead of trying to drive all the way around here. (However, there are more murals farther west on 36th at Mission View Elementary.)

As you can see on the map, the El Paso & Southwestern Greenway passes in front of the murals.

Field of (Mural) Dreams, part 2 of 3

In part 1 of this series — Monday, April 1 — I posted photos of murals along fences northwest of Taqueria Pico de Gallo. Today, photos of an area along 36th Street, just west of 6th Avenue, that's repainted often. We've shown photos twice before. One was November 2, 2021, in Graffiti mural gallery in South Tucson. The other was April 29, 2022, in Mural gallery repainted during BBQ. Here's what I found on December 16, 2023.

As in the part 1 post, I don't have enough time to do my usual careful editing. (I'm saving time to fix the spectacular “alphabet murals” photos you'll see next time in part 3.) Apologies for the tilted lines and other distracting stuff!

These photos start at the east end of the murals, not far from 6th Avenue. The last photo is at the west end, where 36th Avenue ends; it's just north of the last photo in part 1. There's a map at the end of this post showing where murals in each of the three parts of this series are located.

The map below shows where the murals in each of the three posts (parts 1 through 3) are located. Today's group is along the V-shaped line near the middle of the map. You can click on this (or any other image) for a slideshow of bigger views.

By the way, if you're in a car, 36th Street ends for a short distance not far west of 6th Avenue. You might want to park on this short stretch of 36th and walk — instead of trying to drive all the way around to the next stretch of 36th by the part 3 murals.

Next time: Part 3 of 3, the “alphabet murals.”

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.