Stumbled Upon

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’ll know one of my favorite things to do is drive and see what happens. I usually find something interesting, sometimes strange and sometimes wonderful. Today I pointed the car north in search of whatever I could find. As a kid growing up in the desert there was one artist that always stood out, mostly because his art was literally everywhere you looked. That artist was Ettore (Ted) DeGrazia. He had a very interesting life and you should click on the link to read his brief bio. My favorite thing he did was when no gallery would show his art, he built his own gallery, and thus the Gallery Of The Sun was born. His depictions of life in the Southwest won him critical acclaim and in 1957 Unicef choose his painting “Los Ninos” for their holiday card which sold millions.

I drove up Campbell road far into the foothills, almost missing the tiny sign for the gallery. I turned into an empty parking lot. During this time of Covid it seems most things deemed non-essential have been closed. I stopped the car and got out because I wanted to make sure for myself. It is summer and already 97 degrees so many people don’t venture out in the heat. There was a strong warm breeze that day and in the distance I heard the soft clanging of a bell every so often. As I walked to the gallery the usual sign was posted on the huge wooden doors,”Closed Due To The Pandemic”. Yet the bell continued to ring, so I followed the sound and stumbled upon a chapel that I was totally unaware of. I had heard of the gallery growing up but no one had mentioned the adobe chapel with it’s calling bell. DeGrazia, built the “mission” in 1952 as a tribute to Father Eusebio Kino and Our Lady of Guadalupe, a venerated image in the basilica in Mexico City that draws pilgrims from around the world.

The feeling you get when walking into this tiny little “mission” is nothing short of magical. DeGrazia’s murals are on every wall and even though a fire once charred the chapel, it seemed to have given a character to the paintings. People have left offerings on the alter as they say prayers for loved ones to Our Lady Of Guadalupe. There is a reverence here and you instantly feel it as you step inside. The open ceiling lets in a light that illuminates the space in a way only the sun can. The fresh breeze brings the soft clanging of the bell, and just for that moment all is right with the world. I forgot about all the woes that exist outside the walls and was left alone with my thoughts. While this is a food blog, today I fed my spirit. In some way this tiny little chapel graced me with it’s magic and I’m thankful that I found it.

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If you ever get to Tucson and this whole Covid thing is finished, then I highly suggest you take a drive north up Campbell road and pull into the Gallery Of The Sun. DeGrazia painted over 15,000 pieces and the gallery has permanent exhibits and also rotates different works and there’s a small gallery where new local artists are featured. Don’t forget to follow the song of the bell and give the chapel a visit too. As always if you have any questions of comments please leave them in the box below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Until next time Boone Appétit!