Ted De Grazia was a Tucson artist who became famous when one of his paintings was chosen for a UNICEF card. It was of a group of Indian children holding hands and dancing in a circle.
He has a very distinct style, partly due to the fact that he painted only with a knife because as an art student, he couldn’t afford to buy brushes.
The Gallery draws me back, time and time again. But it’s not so much for his paintings. Actually, I often don’t even go inside the gallery when I visit by myself.
I have an emotional attachment to this place. When I first came to Tucson, about 20 years ago, I was traveling through a pretty rough spot in my life’s road. I would often go just sit, somewhere on the gallery grounds, and soak up some kind of healing that I always found there. As you 'go' with me, I hope you can experience some of the peace I've found there.
I’ve taken literally hundreds of photos of this place. I’ve done many paintings of things I’ve seen there…especially the little chapel.
On a recent, cloudy and cool, November morning, I returned for my umpteeth visit to this very special place, for the express purpose of getting just a few more photos to show you. .
I added about 150 pictures to my already large collection of De Grazia photos. So, this tour might take several days…so let’s get started.
The Gallery sits right at the feet of the Santa Catalina Mountains….so we point the car straight North toward the outcropping known as ‘Finger Rock’……..
….till we come to the Gallery in the Sun.
Are you surprised by how green it is?
You have to watch very carefully, from the very beginning, or you’ll miss something interesting…like this……
It’s made of wire and the ‘dew drops’ are clear glass marbles…
Heading to the entrance, we go through the first of many gates present on the grounds...
............................each of them featuring the ubiquitous, signature, flowers which blossom everywhere.
They’re made from aluminum cans. I’ve tried it. They aren’t easy to make!
The entire gallery and grounds were built, personally, by Ted De Grazia with a lot of help from his Native American friends, from tribes around this area.
But it’s Ted’s artist’s heart and soul present in every square inch of this place. And it is fitting that he rests here.
This metal wreath sculpture is made to look like barbed wire and yucca pods.
I wish you could hear this bell..or the one on top of the chapel…as they ring when the wind blows just right. They have a deep, rich tone which always strikes a chord deep in my soul.
Near his grave is this Christmas Tree made of stones. The ‘ornaments’ are stones of copper-rich ore, brought from his childhood home near the Morenci, Arizona copper mines.
It’s always covered with pennies. Maybe it’s a wishing tree.
There are huge agave plants all over the place. These, near the grave, have died, as they always do after blooming. But their tall stalks provide a perch for the mourning doves which are always cooing here. Appropriate, no?
Have you been surprised by all the color in these pictures…considering they were taken on a cloudy, November day on the Sonoran Desert? Like this pyracantha....
and this Santa Rita prickley pear.....
and this clay pot in a Palo Verde tree....
Palo Verde means literally green wood. The only time of the year when it's any prettier is in the Spring when it turns into a solid mass of yellow blossoms! Breathtaking!
No color ‘corrections’ were made to any of those photos. What you see is what it is.
NEWSFLASH!
This desert is NOT brown! As a matter of fact, there’s color everywhere…especially here….
in these flowers………
and even in the very stones……
I hope you’ve enjoyed Day One of our visit to De Grazia’s Gallery In the Sun. Tomorrow………we’ll have a look around some more of the grounds.
I am so very GRATEFUL for this little piece of paradise…within a few short miles of my house.
Thanks, Ted! Rest in Peace.
6 comments:
What a pristene place. I do not know what that Pyracantha thing is but it sure is GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!! And I want one of these Palo Verde trees. Beautifulicious!!!
Pyracantha or pyracanthus..not sure which is right...no doubt grows where you live, Donna. I think it pretty much grows everywhere. The Palo Verde however...you may as well forget. It only grows in desert areas.
A few of the pictures that I found very interesting is the purple cactus. I have only seen green, and so I thought it was such a lovely color. I liked the rock too with its' pretty green and blue. Also, I have heard of Palo Verde, but thought it was only a town...interesting to learn that it means green wood. This was a fun trip through the gallery.
Gorgeous! I loved all the pictures, and find your blog to be a real treasure!
Being a bonafide desert rat myself, it is no surprise to me at how beautiful and green the landscape is in your photos. And, if anyone has seen the heartbreak of an area in an extended drought, it's no more heartbreaking than seeing it in the desert! When there are dead cactus and it is silent because there are no insects singing, you know the drought is really baaaad. But I digress ... most non-Southwesterners might be pleasantly surprised to know there are beautiful, tree-covered mountains in Arizona that rival those of Utah and Colorado. The same goes for New Mexico. I know, because I've seen them with my own eyes!
I must admit that on occasion during wintertime, when it's absolutely freezing outside my warm house and I've shoveled foot-deep snow more times than I can count ... I have daydreams of becoming a "snowbird" and flying south to your beautiful part of this world. Heaven knows I couldn't tolerate such beauty during the summer! But, give me a few years. LOL
So, thanks for the photographic tour of the old stomping grounds of my Mother and Grandmother ... it truly is beautiful.
The photos are so beautiful they truly brought tears to my eyes.I am in Phoenix.I had no idea there was such a place,but i will be making a trip to Tuscon! I am 70 yrs young and in the Valley for 30 yrs. Who knew? thank you...specialnana@cox.net
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