SOUTHWEST RAMBLINGS: Thoughts on Making and Living Art

Ya Never Know...

....when and where you will find inspiration. I would venture a guess that most times it really is in our own backyard. I am a classic case in point: I've lived in Arizona nearly 25 years, 10 in Phoenix, and nearly 15 in Tucson. It has only been in the last six months that I have made a serious effort to get to know my city and surroundings.

While there are things about Tucson I really dislike, I have found some gems that I keep coming back and visiting. A new visit, after 10 years, to Agua Caliente Park gives me my desert water fix - plus a renovation of a 50's ranch house, complete with a gallery that exhibits local work. Met a great artist and got on the list for a solo gallery show.

Each Friday we check the Calendar listings in the newspaper (on line, of course) and see what's available. Discovered the Sonoran Glass Academy and their Pumpkin Harvest open house - seriously want to blow some glass! We've attended some great holiday art fairs we never knew about, discovered hidden galleries - and some interesting people, like the woman who spins her dog hair into wool for sweaters and wonders why no one buys them (it's too warm here!).

There are walking trails where you can see bobcat and their babies, national parks a few miles away (Saguaro National Park,) and the Tucson Botanical Gardens, where you can see an amazing variety of cacti. All we need to do is look more closely at what we pass daily.

Oh...and bring a camera - today I missed a to-die-for shot of the moon in a blue sky with great branches framing it. I'm going to try and return tomorrow just slightly later and see if I can still get it - never occurred to me to delete a couple of photos from my phone and use that!

Linda Moran is a fiber artist and high school math teacher living in Tucson, Arizona. Visit her main blog to follow her adventures in marbling fabrics and musings on life.