2011 Fall Tucson Open Studio Tour: Tucson Artist Melinda Esparza Mops and Dusts With Painterly Gestures

Rincon Peak Winter Snow October 2011 Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

Dusting toward Saturday.
Slouching in meditation.
Daydreaming of rain,
and tea,
and cookies
and guests.

Windy Point and I do Have One Image © 2010 Melinda S. Esparza

Wish you all could be here. The last three times before the Tucson Open Studios Tour, paintings sold online because collectors didn't want to take the chance that they'd lose the one they wanted. A few of the new paintings for this tour are highlighted here:

Ghost Ranch Cliff 8" x 8" on oil panel--Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

Ghost Ranch Ancestors 18" x 18" on cradled oil panel--Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

Ghost Ranch Ancestors above SOLD! today during the Open Studios Tour!


Ghost Ranch Mesa 30" x 30" on oil panel--Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

Plus, this one, She Wore New Earrings (8" x 8", oil on cradled panel). The proceeds of this sale will be donated to charity.

She Wore New Earrings Image © 2011 Melinda S. Esparza

Here is the link to Zocalo's article about the event: The Artists Welcome You!

If you are in the Santa Barbara, CA, area, I hope you'll check out my work in the Westmont Museum of Art's auction of work from November 30th through December 16th.


Looking forward to all who can stop in! Thanks to Mr. Arty Fice for taking an okay photo last night at the preview exhibit.

Flying Cloud on a Gray Day in Tucson

Okay, everybody, back to work I am. I can't top my musical intermission, but I do have some links to share: From Zocalo Tucson Magazine--A cool black and white photo of downtown Tucson looking northeast to the Catalina mountains. The menu at the top provides the entire magazine online. In their book review section, there is a recommended book titled, "Revenge of the Saguaro." It sounds good. Yes, there really was a guy who shot at a saguaro and was killed when one of the heavy arms fell on him. 

On a happier note: Tucson Botanical Garden's Summer Saguaro Celebration presented by Etherton Gallery and an older video of Tohono Chul's Laughing Matters exhibit. For those of you on Staycations: San Xavier Mission on the Tohono O'odham Reservation, Saguaro Harvest, Mt. Lemmon in the Catalinas, Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women Old Town Artisans really good blues guitar in Tucson, 2nd Saturdays downtown Tucson (we were there last Sat.), and one of my favorite bands playing in a shop entryway--Tammy West and the Culprits. This painting (8" x 8," oil on artists' board) reminds me of the cloud covered sky under which Tucson awoke this morning. What a relief! It was a blistering 106 degrees ( 41.1 Celsius) yesterday, with humidity. We had about twenty guests last night...I don't know what the body heat index was. We had a great time, though. Lots of people wearing "No Papers" buttons. Aren't we half way through summer yet? Aren't we?!