Tribute to Barrio Hollywood

This digital piece is ready in time for the first of La Corua's two Fiesta Mixers in 2012 for the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Barrio Hollywood is one of Tucson's many distinctive Mexican-American neighborhoods, famous locally for its annual Fiesta Grande, a street fair along Grande Avenue, its main arterial street.  

This painting attempts to integrate neighborhood icons with a splash of timeless ethereality in action. I also seek to honor the power of family in Tucson's barrios. This piece enlivened some of my own memories growing up with Latino culture and I remain a fan of classic lowrider cars to this day.

Renown Tucson author, Patricia Preciado Martin, grew up here. Her many books about Southern Arizona's people, history and culture have inspired me for many years.  Barrio Hollywood is also home to Tucson's cherished artist, David Tineo. 

Angelita Ochoa, holding baby in the 1941 family portrait included (above)  saw her 97th birthday in 1995 (below)

For more information on Barrio Hollywood and its place in Tucson's history, see the booklet, Looking Into the Westside - Untold Stories of the People, now published on line.

  

My new tri-fold brochure

... for the New Year. My goal was to make a hand-held mini-portfolio.

Mi Adelita - An Interpretation

I created this painting styled as an ex-voto; a votive offering to a saint or divinity, given in fulfillment of a vow.

• Adelita (la soldadera) stands tall, gazing forward, carrying a young child in a traditional indigenous sling. On her thigh rests a Carabina 30/30— (Winchester 30/30) decorated with a rose and two hummingbirds; both powerful Yoeme (Yaqui) symbols. She is dressed plainly, in a Tehuana style skirt. She shows signs of struggle but is poised and undeterred. She is the enduring Woman Warrior Spirit personified, the unsung strength of the world.
• The girl child Adelita carries represents a new generation of life. She could be the child of Adelita, or a rescued child separated from her own natural mother. She sleeps peacefully.
• Blood on the ground: Mexico’s bloody history and ongoing struggles.
• Aztec “calendar” motif: embodies sun & earth deities Tonatiuh & Tlaltecuhtli – both related to sacrificial blood.
• Border Fence: symbol for all that is ridiculous.
• Skeletons: ancestors, perished migrants.
• Rattlesnake: Animal guardian, powerful transformative medicine. Also connected to the Aztec serpent goddess, Coatilcue, and Cihuateteo; one who guards the spirits of women who died in childbirth.
• Prickly pear cactus: (in this case opuntia var. Santa Rita) Food & sustenance for desert survivors.
• Mourning Dove w/creosote bush sprig: Desert peace symbol.
• Banner: In English: “If you want peace, work for justice.” --Pope Paul VI
• River: Santa Cruz River; without which human settlement in this far corner of the Sonoran desert would not have been possible.
• La Virgen de Guadalupe: Our Holy Blessed Mother and Empress of the Americas, sprung from the ancient Aztec mother goddess Tonanztin. Some believe that she holds the spiritual blueprint of the U.S. Southwest.

Tucson Hispanic Chamber annual Noche de Exitos Gala

I am proud to have successfully provided a comprehensive graphics package for the Tucson Hispanic Chamber's 17th annual Noche de Exitos Gala!

The package included:

1. Logo & poster design creation using requested theme color
2. Promotional ad poster
3. Save-the-date cards
4. Billboard and bus panel ad designs
5. Sponsorship Packet
6. Formal invitations
7. Ads for newspaper and print publications
8. Gala Program (22 pgs.)
9. Table tents
10. Signs for the event
11. Additional Companion graphics such as a Power Point projection for the stage.

The staff at the Chamber are a true pleasure to work with and I have been informed that they want to keep me on board for next year!

Great profile of Tucson's Birthplace and Mission Gardens

La Corua Lives!

In my community travels, I have found that literally none have heard of La Corua or its legend.

At the Tucson's Birthplace Breakfast, I ran into an old acquaintance, Jesús Garcia; Sonoran native and naturalist at the Sonoran Desert Museum. We discussed the future of the Mission Garden and I gave him my card. He knows of La Corua well, and told me that it indeed is a real snake - not just a mythical animal as I understood it to be. I was thrilled and told him how much keeping Sonoran folk heritage alive means to me. ♡

So, here is the biology I uncovered about my business' namesake:

The boa constrictor (Boa constrictor) is found from South America to central Sonora. In Sonora, the Mexican boa constrictor or corúa (B. c. imperator) can be a rich dark reddish color in tropical deciduous forest or a paler grayish color in coastal thornscrub. Corúa (also coruba) is a pre-Columbian name. They are often found in canyons and are thought to be guardians of the aguajes (water holes). Unlike other serpents, killing them is thought to be bad luck (the water will dry up).

http://www.desertmuseum.org/programs/alamos_fauna_tdfgallery2.htm

Photo by R. W. Van Devender near Alamos, Sonora.

The 2011 Tucson International Mariachi Conference!

This is the kind of spirit that feeds my creativity and will to create websites. An excellent piece by KUAT's Luis Carrion: