A Photo Stroll in Tubac Arizona

March 23, 2014 by 3 Comments
Hanging Fish

Hanging Fish © 2014 Bo Mackison

Sundays are a great day to wander, snap a few shots to capture a place.

Art hangs on so many of the walls in Tubac. The art against the adobe background is striking.

Dry Wash

Dry Wash © 2014 Bo Mackison

A dry wash separates the main part of town. Signs warn to cross only in fair weather. A flash flood following monsoonal rains will fill this wash to overflowing.

Wall Decor

Wall Decor © 2014 Bo Mackison

Moons, cacti, lizards – colorful and happy – decorate the outside walls of many of the shops. One would never run out of display space.

Gyros

Gyros © 2014 Bo Mackison

Happy trucks – the food trucks offer a variety of foods during crowd-pleasing events. Would you enjoy a gyro or a Greek salad from the “Sleek Greek”?

Golden Sculpture, Golden Acacia

Golden Sculpture, Golden Palo Verde © 2014 Bo Mackison

A part of a golden kinetic sculpture gleams against the background of a golden-flowering palo verde.

Shadow Play

Shadow Play © 2014 Bo Mackison

Lines and light and shadow.

WindowLess

WindowLess © 2014 Bo Mackison

What can you see from this window, even though it is blocked with bricks?

Keep Off

Keep Off © 2014 Bo Mackison

In the Midwest, the signs read “Keep Off the Grass.” Not so in Arizona.

Roof Lines

Roof Lines © 2014 Bo Mackison

Blue sky. Yellow roof. Metal awning. Orange rafters. White lights. Open windows.

Sidewalk Shadow

Sidewalk Shadow © 2014 Bo Mackison

Always there are shadows on the pavement, courtesy of the Arizona’s nearly ever-present sun. Tree shadows. My favorites.

Brick Wall and Pavement

Aggregate © 2014 Bo Mackison

Things can sometimes be very simple. A wall. A sidewalk. Lean against the adobe brick, and breathe a while. Rest.

Bench Warmer

Bench Warmer © 2014 Bo Mackison

The bench warmer in bronze. I’d expect to see this esteemed man in a different setting – not in a desert gallery. There is swirling dust about his feet.

These photos were taken with my iPhone using the Hipstamatic app.

One of my favorite parts of this app is its shakability. Shake the cell phone camera and the filter changes, so I’m never sure which filter will appear next. Serendipity photography.

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San Xavier Mission – Sacred Space, Sacred Art

February 11, 2014 by 4 Comments
San Xavier Mission

San Xavier Mission © 2014 Bo Mackison

The calm within the storm is where peace lives and breathes. It is not within perfect circumstances or a charmed life… it is not conditional. Peace is a sacred space within, it is the temple of our internal landscape. We are free to visit it, whenever we seek sanctuary. Underneath the chaos of everyday living, peace is patiently awaiting our discovery… go within. ~ Jaeda De Walt

The mission church at San Xavier del Bac is a special place. Built in the late 1700s, the church is still run by the Franciscan order that originally built it, and continues to serve and minister to the Tohono O’odham people.

The church is an amazing space, filled with statuary and murals, and dramatic elements such a painted theatrical curtains, painted walls to resemble colorful marble, and faux doors and decorative panels. Though I typically go to the desert in search of sacred spaces, I return to this unusual church again and again to sit in its space, touched by the culture, the art, and the sacred.

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Bad Luck to Steal Saints

November 24, 2012 by 4 Comments
Bad Luck to Steal Saints

Bad Luck to Steal Saints ©2012Bo Mackison

Retabaleros. These are versions of dozens of Catholic saints painted in the classical style on Masonite. This store in Old Town Albuquerque had a large display of these little plaques, and as an added bonus offered a friendly warning– bad luck to steal — especially the saints. ~ Bo Mackison

Day 2. A short day of travel. Yay!

While we have traveled through Albuquerque, even spent the night there a couple of times, usually we are in a hurry to get to our final destination. This trip we made an extra effort to plan some visiting time in Albuquerque.

We left Tucumcari, New Mexico at 6:40 am. Our destination is the Hotel Parque Central in central Albuquerque, a renovated hospital turned hotel, and an awesome place to visit.

Mesas are most beautiful when the early morning sun casts golden highlights upon them. The beginning of what I all the high desert. No large cacti. Lots of sage brush, prickly pears.

We watch the shadow of our car travel along the side – our car on the road, the shadow of our car “driving” on the access road. Lots of laughs.

Gas is $3.39 a gallon for regular. Only once did we see the price dip under three dollars. (Always cheapest in the Kansas City area!)

Now cedars and junipers dot the desert scrub. Little balls of tight green foliage. There is more brittle bush, cholla, yucca.

This is the beginning of the land that tunes my soul, makes my heart sing. I have a heart connection with the Southwest.

Blanco Creek (dry)
Pecos River (dry)

Western Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas — to me, they all look like “the west.” New Mexico feels like “out west.” Is there a difference? I wonder?

We pass the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the city of Albuquerque spreads out in front of us. It is 9:22 am when we pull into the hotel’s parking lot.

We play tourist much of the day. Visit Old Town Albuquerque (where I took the above photo) and wander through stores and art galleries. In the afternoon, we hike the trails at the Petroglyph National Monument on the western side of Albuquerque. We walk the bosque along the Rio Grande for some late afternoon exercise. Then have dinner with a blogging friend who has become a real life friend. How sweet is that!

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Bo Mackison is a photographer and the owner of Seeded Earth Studio LLC. One more day of travel before Bo once again sees the Sonoran Desert!

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

March 6, 2011 by 4 Comments
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”.

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