Let’s have a big hand for Elvis!

Or maybe two.

I had driven by this mural, above, on Fort Lowell Road dozens of times, but it wasn’t until I stopped to take a photo that I noticed that Elvis is missing his hands and feet. And Prince is only depicted as a bust — no body at all. And I’m not sure who the woman with the mic is — maybe Selena? I also wonder if there is some symbolism in all this…or if the unknown artist just stopped one day. He sure spent enough time painting all those fake bricks and faux damaged plaster…but no hands or feet for Elvis. Ah, the mystery of public art when it is privately sponsored.

Is it Goth meets Saguaro?

No mystery, however, with this relatively new mural I discovered down the road a bit at the Crossfit 520 training location in off-the-beaten track neighborhood near the Rillito River. The mural is unsigned but the style would lead me to believe it is by Danny Martin. You can see another mural by him here.

And closer to the U of Arizona is this visual ode to vegetarianism on the outside of the Tasteful Kitchen restaurant which closed as a restaurant in March of 2020 and now delivers weekly meals ordered on its website. The on-again off-again rules regarding eating establishments have forced many to close permanently–especially those that do not have outdoor dining. If a new restaurant moves in some time in the future, I hope the new owners keep this mural and just change the name on the sign.

Six Months Later Update: A new restaurant is doing into this site. No word yet on the fate of the mural.

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