The further south you ride, the more colourful the murals become. Latin American cities and hispanic quarters the world over are no strangers to beautiful and often intricate murals; be they artistic, political, or historical. The Arizona city of Tuscon, close to the border with Mexico, has more than its fare share, as we discovered whilst exploring its bike paths and urban streets.
Joe Pagac Mural, Tuscon, Arizona
Iam always hunting out murals whenever I visit a new city; they add colour and a story to otherwise big and ugly blocks of concrete. Some carry a political message, others a cultural one. They make cities livable, imbuing them with vibrancy and often a sense of context and community.
This mural is just half of the complete wall, measuring 130 x 30 feet. It’s to be found in Tuscon, near the railway line. The artist is Joe Pagac.
Rather wonderfully, you can read about the Kickstarter appeal that brought it to life, and see the wall as it once looked. Funding was required for “Purchasing a high quality masonry primer for the wall. Purchasing high quality, UV and weather resistant paint for the wall. Purchasing a UV and weather resistant top coat for the mural. Renting a cherry picker. All the materials needed to paint the wall including rollers, brushes and a paint sprayer. Labor to paint this beast of a mural.”
Under Risks and Challenges, the artist stated: “The main risk here is just me dying before I finish. I have done hundreds of murals at this point in my career and this mural presents no new challenges I haven’t dealt with before. I am currently in good health :)”
Here’s the right-hand side.
