It’s one block west of the famous Whales in the Sky mural in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. This mural on Martin Ave. at Grant, finished just a couple of weeks ago began as an idea from the homeowner, Sam Pfannkuche, an L.A. graphic artist who recently moved to Tucson. The wall beside his home was definitely in the not-so-hot category and a mural seemed like a better solution than just slapping a coat of paint on it. After learning that Wagon Burner Arts was looking for walls to paint, he contacted them and jointly they came up with this six-panel Dia de los Muertos mural. Then Ses, Retro, Sketch and Sawak got to work.
So, here it is, starting from the north end at Grant Road…
The first La Calavera Catrina
The first of 3 versions of contemporary La Calavera Catrinas on this mural has a small cat (dog?) and a Tucson landscape sharing the panel. I’m not sure what the word that’s floating in the sunset translates to mean.
Jose Posada, a Mexican lithographer, came up with the character La Calavera Catrina back in 1910 and whichever artist from Wagon Burner Arts painted this panel recreated Posada’s image and added color. The violinist that’s paired with Catrina was painted in the same style. Here is what Posada’s original artwork looked like:
What would any Day of the Dead mural be without mustachioed mariachis? And the Arizona landscape continues.
The second La Calavera Catrina in purple is at the center of this half-block long, but not very tall, mural.
Okay…who are these guys? And what’s a New York Yankees cap doing on a Tucson mural? Are these sugar skulls really self-portraits? Or archetypal figures from Southern Arizona? No doubt, the answer is :”It’s Art”.
The third and most southerly La Calavera Catrina brings this striking new mural to an end.
Day of the Dead is not Halloween
If you’re not familiar with Dia de los Muertos and think it is a Mexican Halloween…well, it’s not. What they both have in common is All Saint’s Day which occurs on November 1st in the Christian Calendar. Halloween, with its spooky, ghoulish and sometimes threatening creatures plus too much candy for the kids is celebrated on October 31st. Dia de los Muertos celebrated on November 1st and 2nd is much more solemn as Mexican families go to the cemetery to clean family graves and leave gifts of food and drink for the dead.
In Tucson an All Souls’ Procession will be on November 7th this year with people marching alongside the Santa Cruz River near downtown in memory of friends and family who have passed away.
