i SMELL CHANEL . . .

DO YOU?

"IS THAT CHANEL NO. 5 

I SMELL?"

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Last weekend was 'Art Weekend' in Ajo.  Painters came out and participated in several different events, including painting more murals.  These murals are painted on the backsides of buildings surrounding the downtown Plaza.  How great is that!  Most of the time, the backs of buildings anywhere are ugly and uninviting places to be.  Not in Ajo.

Welcome to . . .

this is just a small sampling. . .
and these are all big murals!

they worked into the night under big lights

 the hand detail on this is incredible.

these faces you see are of actual residents taken from old historical photos

this one is not new, but remains one of my favorites.

it is done by an artist known locally as 'Wolf'

He has painted murals on several buildings here and has just brought the buildings to life.

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY . . .

NIGHT SKY OVER AJO, AZ.

"IF YOU ARE SAD,
ADD MORE LIPSTICK AND ATTACK."

~ coco chanel

WELCOME TO AJO, ARIZONA ...

We have been on the road traveling and reached our destination of Ajo, Arizona last week.  We have friends who moved here two years ago and have been talking it up ever since so we decided to come down and see what all the hoopla was about.  :-)   Turns out they were right ... Ajo is a little gem out in the middle of the Sonoran desert.  A small town, Ajo was originally a copper mining community and, like so many mining towns, it is still suffering the economics of a long ago closed down mine.  A lot of empty homes sit abandoned and for sale. 

 But, places like this seem to be having a little resurgence these days.   A lot of people want a slower paced lifestyle, like our friends (and we've already met a lot more people down here like them).  Then you still have a spirit within the people who remained here to keep what they have going.  And, speaking of 'Spirit' these Ghost Figures of Ajo are all over town ... street corners, incorporated into landscaping, empty lots.  They are done by a local Artist, Val Uschuk.  It's my understanding that there are about 85 of them around town.  So far we've found about 20 so I guess we have a lot more exploring to do.  :-)

As you can see, she uses a lot of recycled materials in her work.  Not an uncommon theme here as you can see by this wall below ..

 

Since we are going to be on the road for an extended time (3 months) I needed to make a workplace for myself.  So ... out went the sofa that came with the RV, which I never did like it ~ it was really just plain ugly. One of those things that seem to be a right of passage for most RVs. (To my RVer friends please note that I did not say all)  We then put in this toolbox which holds just about all my must haves.  When working I set up a small table right next to it and off I go.  It actually works very well.  And, just in case you're wondering, we have still have 3 very comfy chairs left to sit on!

And yes, I did manage to get some work finished while we were on the road.  I have to admit, not much has been done since we got here though. We've been too busy exploring!   :-)  This Piece was done with thanks, once again,  to my friend Indy and her Dad who supplied almost all the stamps used here.  It was another fun Piece to do.

 

'WRAP YOUR DAYDREAMS IN A BOX AND GO!'

12 x 12" Mixed Media Collage on Canvas Board

For more information Please Click below

    www.charleenmartin.com

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CLOUDS OF THE DAY ....

 

How about some Sunshine for a change!

Night comes to the desert all at once, as if someone turned out the light.

~ Joyce Carol Oates

See you soon ...

Charleen