Meet the artists of Tucson's Mural Arts Program
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Creating one of the murals wasn’t as easy as coming up with a design and slapping on paint. The surfaces needed to be power washed — the Tucson business Graffiti Protective Coatings did that job gratis — scaffolding and lifts were necessary for most jobs, as were volunteer assistants to help the artists, who were on tight deadlines.
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Luis Mena’s mural covers the front, the doorway, curves around to the side, and overflows onto the overhang of the building at 142 E. Pennington St. Just 7-feet high but an impressive 83-feet long, it includes blossoms, birds, a mariachi and a deep blue background that pulls you in and cools you off. It’s a colorful celebration of the Latino culture in Tucson, and practically shimmers with energy thanks to the glitter the artist added in strategic spots. Look up to the overhang to catch his celestial and ghostly drawings.
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Rock Martinez took about a month to create the Agave Lady, which covers Benjamin Supply's 65-feet long and 55-feet high wall at 440 N. Seventh Ave. The piece is one of his Cactus People series. Martinez, who is out of the country and wasn’t available for comment, used the grid laid out by the wall’s bricks as his guide, says Cristina Perez, who assisted him. He would finish one grid, climb off the scaffolding, cross the street to check the work, then climb back on and continue. “Getting the proportions right was the biggest challenge,” says Perez.
Martinez’s website: yfiart.com. He is also on Facebook.
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The winged heart on the side of Cafe 54, 54 E. Pennington St., was done by a team of artists: Rachel Slick, Tim Schirack and Alexandra Gjurasic. The wall is 18-feet high and 50-feet long, but “it felt longer than that,” says Gjurasic with a laugh. The biggest challenge was the texture of the wall on the building. “It has a thick adobe texture and it chewed through brushes and it ate paint,” she said. More of the artists’ works at: rachelslicksculpture.homestead.com, alexandraGjurasic.com and timothyschirack.homestead.com
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Isaac Caruso’s mural is on a 50- by 50-feet wall at 9 N. Scott Ave. Bright oranges float in front of a striking blue background, bringing a touch of coolness to the hot city. A quail pops up between the fruit. “I wanted to do something that represents Tucson and I automatically thought of quail and orange trees,” says Caruso. He lives in Phoenix, and took a week off his art director job to stay in Tucson and bang out the mural. And this is how dedicated he is: He spent one night high in the air on the lift so he could work as late as possible, and get as much sleep as possible. “It was elevated about 20 feet and I was wrapped up in my sleeping bag,” he says. He wasn’t worried about falling. “Paint cans were my borders,” he explains. More of his art: isaacncaruso.com.
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Jessica Gonzales’ mural on the west wall of Wig-O-Rama, 98 E. Congress St., is 27- feet tall and 32-feet wide. The festive piece has faces peering out toward the center of Downtown and is festooned with iconic Tucson images, from monsoon clouds to a lasso. She projected her image onto the wall as her guide, though she incorporated the grid system, as well. “I felt it was important to honor the Downtown community,” says Gonzales about her design. “I live here, I work here, I went to Tucson High School. It’s about the connectedness of creative locals and the support system we have.” You can see more of her work on her Facebook page.
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To-Ree-Nee Wolf Keiser got a late start on her 12-feet-high and 40-feet-long mural at the old Scrappy’s, 213 E. Broadway. She’s battling oppressive heat but she’ll be done by June 20, she says. Her inspiration is “The creation story, chaos theory and quantum memory,” says Wolf. Incorporating bright colors — which are her signature — and images of rainbows and a butterfly will be key. Her biggest challenge? “The heat,” she says quickly. To avoid it, she has to get up early to start work on the mural. That presents another challenge: “I’m a night owl,” she says. “If I see dawn, it’s because I’m going to bed, not rising.” toreenee.com.
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Ignacio Garcia’s mural on the east wall of the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., was inspired by myths and symbols often identified with the Southwest. He submitted his proposal in February, so the rodeo was on his mind, and the mythical jackalope seemed to go right along with that. “I wanted it to be fun and have a childish feel,” he says. “We all have this inner child; seeing something like this can give us a happy feeling.” Originally, the rider on the jackalope had the face of a child, but the Rialto’s Curtis McCrary suggested it have basketball announcer Bill Walton’s face instead. The image of Walton, who Tucsonans either love or hate for his goofy personality, ups the “fun” of the mural, which is 45-feet long about about 70-feet high. “People are going bananas and being emotional about (the murals),” says Garcia. “I didn’t realize how much people wanted this movement; I didn’t realize how much people needed this.” More of Garcia’s work at artebyignacio.com.
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Niki Glen’s mural on the corner of North Fifth and East Toole avenues is a celebration of nature in our part of the country, with Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and an abundance of color. “The theme is pollinators,” she says. The mural is 50-feet long and just 4-feet high. “I wanted to do something that was timeless and contemporary that I thought people would enjoy looking at now and in 20 years,” she says. Find more of her work on her web page, glenstudios.com.
Luis Mena’s mural covers the front, the doorway, curves around to the side, and overflows onto the overhang of the building at 142 E. Pennington St. Just 7-feet high but an impressive 83-feet long, it includes blossoms, birds, a mariachi and a deep blue background that pulls you in and cools you off. It’s a colorful celebration of the Latino culture in Tucson, and practically shimmers with energy thanks to the glitter the artist added in strategic spots. Look up to the overhang to catch his celestial and ghostly drawings.
Rock Martinez took about a month to create the Agave Lady, which covers Benjamin Supply's 65-feet long and 55-feet high wall at 440 N. Seventh Ave. The piece is one of his Cactus People series. Martinez, who is out of the country and wasn’t available for comment, used the grid laid out by the wall’s bricks as his guide, says Cristina Perez, who assisted him. He would finish one grid, climb off the scaffolding, cross the street to check the work, then climb back on and continue. “Getting the proportions right was the biggest challenge,” says Perez.
Martinez’s website: yfiart.com. He is also on Facebook.
The winged heart on the side of Cafe 54, 54 E. Pennington St., was done by a team of artists: Rachel Slick, Tim Schirack and Alexandra Gjurasic. The wall is 18-feet high and 50-feet long, but “it felt longer than that,” says Gjurasic with a laugh. The biggest challenge was the texture of the wall on the building. “It has a thick adobe texture and it chewed through brushes and it ate paint,” she said. More of the artists’ works at: rachelslicksculpture.homestead.com, alexandraGjurasic.com and timothyschirack.homestead.com
Isaac Caruso’s mural is on a 50- by 50-feet wall at 9 N. Scott Ave. Bright oranges float in front of a striking blue background, bringing a touch of coolness to the hot city. A quail pops up between the fruit. “I wanted to do something that represents Tucson and I automatically thought of quail and orange trees,” says Caruso. He lives in Phoenix, and took a week off his art director job to stay in Tucson and bang out the mural. And this is how dedicated he is: He spent one night high in the air on the lift so he could work as late as possible, and get as much sleep as possible. “It was elevated about 20 feet and I was wrapped up in my sleeping bag,” he says. He wasn’t worried about falling. “Paint cans were my borders,” he explains. More of his art: isaacncaruso.com.
Jessica Gonzales’ mural on the west wall of Wig-O-Rama, 98 E. Congress St., is 27- feet tall and 32-feet wide. The festive piece has faces peering out toward the center of Downtown and is festooned with iconic Tucson images, from monsoon clouds to a lasso. She projected her image onto the wall as her guide, though she incorporated the grid system, as well. “I felt it was important to honor the Downtown community,” says Gonzales about her design. “I live here, I work here, I went to Tucson High School. It’s about the connectedness of creative locals and the support system we have.” You can see more of her work on her Facebook page.
To-Ree-Nee Wolf Keiser got a late start on her 12-feet-high and 40-feet-long mural at the old Scrappy’s, 213 E. Broadway. She’s battling oppressive heat but she’ll be done by June 20, she says. Her inspiration is “The creation story, chaos theory and quantum memory,” says Wolf. Incorporating bright colors — which are her signature — and images of rainbows and a butterfly will be key. Her biggest challenge? “The heat,” she says quickly. To avoid it, she has to get up early to start work on the mural. That presents another challenge: “I’m a night owl,” she says. “If I see dawn, it’s because I’m going to bed, not rising.” toreenee.com.
Ignacio Garcia’s mural on the east wall of the Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St., was inspired by myths and symbols often identified with the Southwest. He submitted his proposal in February, so the rodeo was on his mind, and the mythical jackalope seemed to go right along with that. “I wanted it to be fun and have a childish feel,” he says. “We all have this inner child; seeing something like this can give us a happy feeling.” Originally, the rider on the jackalope had the face of a child, but the Rialto’s Curtis McCrary suggested it have basketball announcer Bill Walton’s face instead. The image of Walton, who Tucsonans either love or hate for his goofy personality, ups the “fun” of the mural, which is 45-feet long about about 70-feet high. “People are going bananas and being emotional about (the murals),” says Garcia. “I didn’t realize how much people wanted this movement; I didn’t realize how much people needed this.” More of Garcia’s work at artebyignacio.com.
Niki Glen’s mural on the corner of North Fifth and East Toole avenues is a celebration of nature in our part of the country, with Monarch butterflies, hummingbirds and an abundance of color. “The theme is pollinators,” she says. The mural is 50-feet long and just 4-feet high. “I wanted to do something that was timeless and contemporary that I thought people would enjoy looking at now and in 20 years,” she says. Find more of her work on her web page, glenstudios.com.
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