Rillito Bend mural is wildly more than it appears

Dedicated in March of 2020, the mural to mark a southern side of the Rillito Bend neighborhood was created by a now-retired certified nurse midwife, Sue Ann Breems. Unlike many murals around the city, this one was created with hand-crafted ceramic tiles, rather than paint. Breems came to the art world only as she approached retirement when one of her midwife patients gave her a mosaic class as a gift. That class lead to this beautiful, intricate 33 foot long mural.

At first it appears to be a detailed desert landscape with mountains, colorful skies and green plants. But a closer look reveals a world of animals, plus a couple of angels. In the photo at the top of this post javelinas guard their little ones in a landscape filled with flowers and cacti.

Here are a few close-ups of the mural.

Quail, Coyotes and Bats

Around my neighborhood there are many quail dashing around in the shelter of creosote bushes , but I have never seen quail surrounded by desert flowers like these.

Quail aren’t the only creatures hidden away among the flowers on the Rillito Bend mural. Here two coyotes are watchful while above them birds perch in the tree. I wonder if the flowers are inspired by datura?

Joining the coyotes on this part of the mural are hummingbirds, bobcats, butterflies, bees and some rabbits. A roadrunner speeds along the base of the mural into the path of the coyotes and bobcat. And then there are all the flowers and cacti…

The sky, too, has its creatures. The bats, of course, are famous for pollinating night-blooming cacti. And tucked away in the evening sky is a silver star and a charming angel. Or maybe the sun?

The Rillito Bend neighborhood is my absolute favorite in Tucson. Unfortunately, the place where I wanted to live in Rillito Bend was unavailable at the time I had to move so I now live nearby.

It is the area where the native Hohokam people farmed. Now it has tree lined streets, old old small homes and a couple of housing developments in Southwestern style that fit right in.

This neighborhood was home to famed artist Maynard Dixon, whose painting “Painted Desert” is to the left. Breems said the colors of Dixon’s works inspired her in the selection of colors she used in her Rillito Bend mural.

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Tucson News: While the cases of Covid 19 have begun to creep upward again, the deaths from this disease have plunged. In Pima County during the last couple of weeks there has been only 1 death from Covid 19.