A Sunday at Play

After three days of rain, it was nice to see the sun rise above the mountains of the Tucson valley. November was the warmest on record for Tucson, and maybe the most arid. This was the first rain I'd seen since being here.

However, today the sun was out and it was a beautiful day to play. Slightly cool, but not cold by any stretch, I had my day planned out precisely. First, I had my morning coffee at a Starbucks on Skyline Road in the Foothills of northern Tucson. The views are breathtaking there, and I wonder if I will ever get used to them. With coffee mug in hand, I went across the street to the La Encantada shopping center. The La Encantada is the premier upscale outdoor shopping center in Tucson, and I wanted to drink my coffee there on the patio among the beautiful plants and Christmas decorations. I took my art-pack with me and spent a couple of hours drawing the shadows and hues reflecting on the adobe walls adorning the courtyard. (I took these photos while there.)

My second stop of the day was the DeGrazia Gallery in the Sun located a couple of miles from the La Encantada. I spent two hours at the grave of Ted DeGrazia, who is buried near his beloved "Mission in the Sun." It's very peaceful and quiet there, and I spent the time drawing an altar built of stones located near his grave. My drawing tablet is becoming a "journal" of the places I visit, and I'm teaching myself the fundamentals of drawing by reading used books I purchased at the bookstore. At the first of the year, I'll be taking art classes at night offered by a local artist.

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An art and crafts show sponsored by the Tucson Arts and Crafts Association was my third stop for the day. I drove east from the DeGrazia Gallery along Skyline Drive until I reached Kolb Ave. The Ventana Plaza shopping center is located just south of the intersection, and the parking lot was full of booths from local artists and crafts persons. I spent an hour walking around and taking photos, as usual. (See photos below.) I met as many of the local artists as I could. Some were from the Phoenix area, and other parts of Arizona.

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I had an lengthy discussion with a fine arts photographer from Phoenix. His photographs were of flowers and other plant life, enlarged to enormous scale, then presented on canvas using the Giclee printing process. I asked him what format he used (35 mm), and if any fine arts photographers had made the switch to digital photography (not yet...digitals limit the size of enlargements you are able to produce).

The fine arts photographer pictured above displayed photos from around the world, including scenes from Paris, Venice, and London.

After the art show I dropped by a Laundromat and washed clothes. Local Laundromats have their own kind of art on display: dirty tile floors, broken down washing machines, and cash machines that are supposed to provide you with quarters but almost never work.

I finished my day back at Starbucks, as usual, to do some reading and writing. Today was a great way to begin the month of December in a very beautiful city in the desert.

Big Brothers and Sisters Benefit from Craft Fair

Last Saturday afternoon I was driving through the foothills of the Catalina Mountains area north of Tucson when I noticed an artist and crafts fair being held at a local shopping center. Benefiting the Big Brothers and Sisters of Tucson, the fair had 4o or so booths from local artists and craftspersons selling their wares. It was getting late in the day, so I didn't have as much time as I wanted to spend visiting all the booths. It made me a little jealous. I was wishing I was a local artist and had my own booth. Maybe some day I will.
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One particular booth was wall-to-wall old photos and reproductions mounted on pieces of wood, then framed. Other wooden objects like stools and end tables also had old photos mounted on them. The woman in the photo at right was selling handpainted mugs and ceramic dishes.