Saints at San Xavier del Bac – Folk Art in a Mission Church

Carving,  Mission San Xavier del Bac

Katerina Tekawitha Carving

There are many statues of saints in the church, San Xavier del Bac, on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. All are wood carvings, and many are painted in bright colors.

Interior Statue,  Mission San Xavier del Bac

Mary at Mission San Xavier del Bac

The walls are also painted, lots of reds, blues, yellows. Many of the statues are in alcoves with carved and painted drapes and curtains.

Offerings,  Mission San Xavier del Bac

Candles and Offerings

Rows and rows of candles illuminate the intentions of the faithful. Again, this statue is in an alcove decorated with carved draperies, and flanked by winged angels. The entire church is unbelievably rich in art considering it was created in the 18th century by New Spain, Mexican, and Native American artisans.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  Exploring new places, new ideas, new art every day. I love going on my “explores”.

Photographer’s Shadow – Integrating Light and Shadow

The Photographer's Shadow

The Photographer’s Shadow © 2011 Bo Mackison

Arizona is working out well. Mostly. I love the new places to explore, the challenge, and of course, I love the sunny skies and the warm weather.

But once in awhile I feel like I’m living under a shadow.

One needs both light and shadow to make a photograph. All light and the scene will be over-exposed and all white. Nothing visible. All shadow, and the photograph would be underexposed, the scene dark, the shapes and figures indistinguishable.

Photographs are a combination of light and shadow. Life is a combination of light and shadow, too.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  Even learning how to adapt to life’s ups and downs is a worthwhile adventure.

In the Mission Garden – A Time of Reflection

Garden, Mission San Xavier del Bac

In the Garden © 2011 Bo Mackison

Today marks the first month of my two month stay in Tucson. The “Bo Goes Solo” experiment, to my great relief, has been a quite a success. I think I could become a desert rat with ease, though to be honest, I’ve only experienced the beauty of spring and nearly perfect weather. I would probably be talking a different story if I was here when the temperatures hit 100˚ and stay there for weeks at a time.

I look back at the last month in amazement. While the world has been spinning and Madison has been on the news day after day, I’ve been spending a lot of time sitting in gardens. I spend much of that time taking photographs, but I also take time to simply sit and absorb. Every place has its own space, its own mood. I’ve spent time in reflection in mission gardens, in the great solitude of the desert at mid-day, atop a mountain accompanied by the constant chirping of migratory birds who are stopping here temporarily.

I’m getting to know a different habitat and the different creatures that live here. I’ve gotten accustomed to visits from the javelina. First, one adult made the rounds at dusk. Now I often see the mom and dad with their two offspring. I’m not fond of the adults’ appearance, though the baby javelinas are cute in an ugly kind of way.

I hear the coyotes singing at night and have seen a few on my desert walks. The road runner I saw when I first arrived hasn’t run past my door again, but other birds are plentiful — several species of hummingbirds, Gambel’s quails,  finches, woodpeckers, even a glimpse of a mountain bluebird.

So I celebrate today, the day “in the middle”, privileged to have spent the first month learning how to “be solo”, and delighted to have the next month to continue my explorations. I’ll also be printing my new collection of desert and mission photographs for the next art fair at the end of the month. I am truly grateful for this time in the desert.

This photograph was taken in a small courtyard garden at Mission San Xavier del Bac, a most remarkable place.

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Bo Mackison is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  There are many gifts to find when one takes the time and opportunity to seek.

Mission San Xavier del Bac

"White Dove of the Desert"

"White Dove of the Desert" © 2011 Bo Mackison

Mission San Xavier del Bac is located only a few minutes south of Tucson, Arizona, on the Tohono O’Odham Indian Reservation. The mission was founded by Father Eusebio Kino, a Franciscan missionary, in 1692. Father Kino also founded the mission at Tumacacori, located 20 miles south of San Xavier, and several other missions in southern Arizona and in Sonora, Mexico.

The church, which is a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1783-1797. It is the oldest European structure in the state of Arizona.

Sacristy,  Mission San Xavier del Bac

Sacristy, Mission San Xavier del Bac © 2011 Bo Mackison

San Xavier’s interior is filled with many pieces of original statues and mural paintings, all dating from the 18th Century. The Baroque architecture has many dramatic features including painted faux doors, wood sculptures painted to resemble marble, and many niches that hold statues in curtained surroundings. It is all quite intricate and full of ingenious detailing.

Mission San Xavier del Bac, Interior

Interior, Mission San Xavier del Bac © 2011 Bo Mackison

Once inside the church, one barely knows where to look first. There are more than 300 angels an over one hundred saints represented in paintings, sculptures or bas reliefs. Many of them are highlighted in gold leaf.

It is hard not to look in amazement at the decorative features that cover nearly every inch of this masterpiece. The church has undergone several restoration projects, and some of the nations’ most talented art conservators gave new life to much of the art a decade ago. It’s an amazing collection of church art, considering it was conceived and constructed over 200 years ago.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  There are many gifts to find, here in the desert.

Cactus, Cactus, Everywhere – Exporing Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

Ajo Mountain Scenic Road

Ajo Mountain Scenic Road @ 2011 Bo Mackison

One of the best ways to explore a large portion of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is to do so on the loop road. Not usually my favorite way to see a national park, but in this case, it was certainly an efficient way to see various habitats of the park while taking advantage of the protection and speed of my car. Less wear and tear on my body, and I didn’t get lost once! Of course, it IS a loop…

The 21 mile Ajo Mountain Scenic Road winds from desert floor, ascends through the Ajo Mountain Range, and then returns to the desert floor. The beginning is partly paved, but once it reaches higher elevations and tight passes, the road becomes rocky and bumpy, a bit of an adventure ride. And I have to say, I have seen National Parks and Monuments in the 48 lower states, and I think this 20 mile length of road rivals almost any other road, National Park or not, for its breathtaking beauty. I think it must be in my top five favorites.

Organ Pipe and Palo Verde

Organ Pipe and Palo Verde © 2011 Bo Mackison

The organ pipe cactus is much like it s cousin, the saguaro. Both large cacti grow near a nurse tree, often a palo verde, as shown in this photograph. A bird, while sitting in a tree, makes a deposit under the tree which includes the seeds of cactus. The tree provides protection from the harsh sun, carnivores and water from the nurse tree as it indirectly waters the seedling cactus. If it isn’t eaten, frost-bitten, or scorched to death, it may make it. Cacti have the best chance of making it past the first few years of growth if the weather is milder and wetter than average.

These conditions happen only a few times in a century in the Arizona Uplands where Organ Pipe National Monument is located. That is why there are only a few sizes/ages of cactus in a any given area. The lucky cacti that make it to the height of three feet–40 years worth of growth–are quite resistant to weather extremes and animal damage, and have much lower mortality rates than the younger cacti.

Organ Pipe NM

“Good Housekeeping” Desert © 2011 Bo Mackison

This region of the Sonoran Desert seems much less cluttered than the desert I hiked in a few days ago, the western unit of Saguaro National Park. There everything was a jumble of clutter. Here, it looks like the maids have come through, preparing for an inspection from the “Good Housekeeping” desert spirit.

Organ Pipe Cactus

Organ Pipe Cactus © 2011 Bo Mackison

Organ pipes are easily distinguished from the saguaro, and the other large, but less common cactus, the senita. (No photos of the senita yet, but I’ll keep looking.) Organ pipes have arms that rise from ground level, their stems are often thinner, and they do not sprout projecting arms.

They are uncommon in the United States–found only in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and the adjacent Tohono O’odham Indian Reservation located in south central Arizona. This is the most northern habitat for these plants. They are common in the Sonora, Mexico to the south. At that most southern part of the Sonoran desert, these cacti grow with such density, they appear as a sea of organ pipes. Now that is something I would love to see!

Southern Mountain Side--Cactus Habitat

Southern Mountain Side–Cactus Habitat © 2011 Bo Mackison

Organ pipes are usually found on south facing, rocky mountain sides. In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, the south exposures are one of the warmest micro-habitats in the United States. The cacti typically grow about 10 feet high, though occasionally they can be seen twice that height. Their flowers are white, and bloom at night from April through August. They open in the dark and close shortly after sunrise. That would be something to see, too.

In the photograph above, the organ pipes are joined by the fuzzy Teddy Bear Cholla, a few palo verde trees, and creosote bushes.

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. She is living in Tucson for two months, exhibiting her photography in art shows, taking photographs, and blogging about photography, art fairs, and living life “solo.”  She is finding the desert habitat more and more to her liking. She is also finding that a solitary life comes with unexpected gifts, too.