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The Work
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of o bb ann n o w s h o w i n g at t h e T u b ac C e n t e r o f t h e A r t s by Kathleen Vandervoet
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urrently, art lovers are enjoying a showing of 24 works by Tubac artist Bobb Vann, whose oil paintings are collected and displayed around the United States. The Tubac Center of the Arts has created a special solo exhibit titled “A Slice of Life.” For his entire life, Vann has been an artist, an illustrator and at times, a teacher. His choice of subject, most often, is an individual person, or a group of just a few people. He’s drawn to showing their innermost thoughts, and encouraging the viewer to connect.
“I just see a lot in the figures that I chose to paint. They all seem to say something to me, as far as attitude goes,” Vann said.
In the show at the art center, the facial expressions of his subjects range from solemn to delighted, and draw in the viewer. Vann said he enjoys focusing on that. “Faces give off so much information. If that person is about something, they’re going to carry an expression.
“I like to give the painting some soul, some depth as to what that figure might be contemplating. I always
try to let others read into that expression.”
Vann’s formal training was at the Philadelphia College of Art and was followed by a successful career as a graphic artist and illustrator in the advertising business. He became known for his paintings of Buffalo Soldiers, the first Black professional soldiers dating to 1866 when Congress acted to created six all-African American Army units.
The painting on the cover of the October “Tubac Villager,” featuring tones of red, white and blue, is titled “The Americans.” It’s called that because the three men, based on historical figures, “all played a significant part in what was going on, especially out here in the West. They represent what was going on at the time America was being formed.
“I chose to do it as a vignette, not a complete canvas, so it’s a segment of the time. I didn’t feel I had to fill the whole canvas with it in order for you to understand what was going on,” he said. Vann, who has lived in Tubac with his wife, Pat, for 20 years, is highly regarded. Mike Jacoby, president
of the board of directors of the Tubac Center of the Arts, said, “It was indeed an honor for the Tubac Center of the Arts to be able to welcome acclaimed local artist, Bobb Vann, in our inaugural exhibit featuring local artists in the new Studio Gallery at TCA. “To see Bobb’s extraordinary work on display in
Big Horn Gallery - Bruce Baughman Gallery K. Newby Gallery -La Cucaracha de Tubac - Lone Mountain Turquoise Company Los Cántaros - Más y Más- Old Presidio Traders - Purcell Gallery Roberta Rogers Watercolors - Shelby’s Bistro - Sole Shoes - Southwest Designs Stone House of Tubac - Sunrise Jewelers - Sweet Poppy - The Goods.
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required, visit www.pima.gov/nrpr. At the Historic Hacienda de la Canoa, 5375 S. I-19 Frontage Rd., Green Valley. Online registration required. All ages welcome. For more information contact: www.pima.gov/nrpr, CanoaRanch@pima.gov, or 520-724-5520. Online registration required. OCTOBER 15, 9-11AM - FREE SEMINAR - LYRIC- INCREDIBLE HEARING, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY AND 100% INVISIBLE. At the Community Performance & Art Center, 1250 West Continental Road, Green Valley. Companions are encouraged to attend. Call 520.399.7633 to make reservations as space is limited. Complimentary breakfast provided. OCTOBER 15, 1-3PM - GREEN VALLEY GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY MEETING. Main Program: Carolyn Brown, "Finding the Poor." Researching people who are listed as poor, didn’t own land and moved frequently. Includes orphans and those who had fallen on hard times for a short periods of time. Carolyn has been researching her family since 1979. She is the founder, and newsletter editor of the Bouse Genealogical Society, Bouse, Arizona. She has been presenting genealogy seminars and workshops for over 35 years. Carolyn was elected to Who’s Who of American Women in 1989. She is the recipient of the 2012 AzGAB Founders Award and the 2013 NGS Award of Merit. GVGS members Jill Bailey and Mary Alice Robinson will present the short program "Dressing the Doll" with stories of ancestors. Meetings feature helpful genealogical items for Silent Auctions and Raffles. Refreshments will be served. Visitors are welcome. Contact Linda Hanson (396-3701 or hanson_24013@msn.com) for more information, or go to the web site at www.rootsweb.ancestry. com/~azgvgs/ (or Google: azgvgs). Green Valley Genealogical Society, Valley Presbyterian Church, 2800 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley. OCTOBER 15, 5:30-7:30PM - ARTIST ANA TERESA FERNANDEZ WILL LECTURE AT THE TUCSON MUSEUM OF ART. “This talk will consist mostly of the trajectory of my work, from the time I got out of school up until the present. I will talk about how the work has evolved and how the ideas date with the politics of the time. How socio-politics around me and the space influence the way I work. I will also note the way in which I go in and out of San Francisco, my travels abroad and how this shaped and broadened the spectrum of my work. Throughout my travels the work goes from inside the studio to outside in the public sphere. The work goes from internal to external transitioning from more minimalist and abstract outside to personal and detailed inside the studio, but always both informing each other. The talk will end with the showing of my most recent work which is about the disappearances of the students in Ayala in Mexico called Erasure, where the political landscape consumes the identity of people but in my case in my performances I blacken out myself.” ~ Ana Teresa. OCTOBER 15, 6-8:30PM - OLD PUEBLO ARCHAEOLOGY CENTER’S “THIRD THURSDAY FOOD FOR THOUGHT” DINNER. Free (Order your own dinner off of the restaurant’s menu). There is no entry fee but donations will be requested to benefit Old Pueblo’s educational efforts. Because seating is limited in order for the program to be in compliance with the Fire Code, those wishing to attend must call 520-798-1201 and must have their reservations confirmed before 5 p.m. Wednesday October 14.
Tu b a c Vi l l a g e r O c t o b e r 2 0 1 5 OCTOBER 15-18 - SANTA CRUZ COUNTY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. The Film Festival will be held Oct. 15 - 18 in Nogales & Patagonia and will feature Traffic; the original 3:10 to Yuma; Cesar Chavez and the 1993 Tombstone. Also included are independent films and documentaries. Meet the film makers and stars. www.santacruzfilm-fest. org. OCTOBER 16, 6:30-8:30PM - A NIGHT WITH THE STARS. Explore the wonder and unfold the mysteries of the night sky. Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association volunteers provide an introduction to the night sky and set up telescopes for celestial viewing. Feel free to bring your lawn chair. Weather permitting. At the Tucson Mountain Park, Ironwood Picnic Area, 1548 S. Kinney Road. free, all ages welcome. For more information contact: www. pima.gov/nrpr, eeducation@pima.gov, or 520615-7855. Weather permitting. Reservations not required. OCTOBER 16 - LIVE MUSIC - ANGEL PEREZ at Stables Patio in the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa. OCTOBER 16, 17 & 18 - DEMONSTRATIONS BY NAVAJO SILVERSMITHS MONROE & LILLIE ASHLEY. At the Old Presidio Traders. 520-398-9333.27 Tubac Rd.
OCTOBER 17, 9AM-4PM - ANZA DAYS CELEBRATION. This annual celebration commemorates Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza’s 1775 expedition from Tubac to the Pacific and the founding of San Francisco. Enjoy a colorful re-enactment on horseback of Anza’s expedition. It begins in Tumacácori with Spanish colonial cavalry drills at 9 am and Mass at 10 am in the Tumacácori Mission. Children’s activities include calligraphy and coloring, leather work, paper flower and basket making at the Tubac Presidio between 11 am and 3 pm. Starting at 11 am musicians and dancers will entertain at the Tubac Presidio, including an authentic Nueva España Fandango performance. The much anticipated “big event” of the Anza riders’ arrival takes place at noon. After a short horseback presentation, the riders will dismount and eat lunch and mingle. Riders will describe soldiers’ uniforms, civilian women’s dress, and specialized horse tack of the colonial period. The riders depart about 2:45 pm, and ride up to the steps of St. Ann's Church where the priest will bless them. With mariachis playing, the riders move off for San Francisco with shouts of Vaya con Dios! and Adios! For info call the Presidio, 520-398-2252. FREE admission. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, 1 Burruel St., Tubac, AZ (520) 398–2252.
OCTOBER 17, 9AM-4PM ANZA DAYS CELEBRATION
OCTOBER 17, 7AM - 10AM - SATURDAY SONORAN DESERT WEEDWACKERS. Join the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers to eradicate buffelgrass and fountain grass in Tucson Mountain Park. Work may require hiking and pulling buffelgrass on steep slopes. Meeting locations change frequently. Ages 12 and up. At the Pima County Tucson Mountain Park - call for meeting location. free, ages 12 and up. For more information contact: eeducation@pima.gov, or 520-615-7855. OCTOBER 17, 8-11:30AM - TUCSON MOUNTAINS DESERT ECOLOGY HIKE. Enjoy a moderate level 3 to 4 mile hike on the Brown Mountain trail and learn about the vegetation, wildlife, and climate of our local desert. Ages 12 and up. Online registration required, $5 fee, visit www.pima. gov/nrpr. Meet at Tucson Mountain Park, Brown Mountain Trailhead, 8451 W. McCain Loop Road parking pull out labeled M-9. Cost/Age: $5 fee, online registration required. Ages 12 and up. For more information contact: www.pima.gov/nrpr, 520-615-7855, or eeducation@pima.gov. $5 fee, online registration required. OCTOBER 17, 8:30AM-11:30AM - WE’VE GOT THE BEAT: AN UPDATE ON ATRIAL FIBRILLATION. At the DuVal Auditorium, Banner - University Medical Center Tucson, 1501 N. Campbell Ave., Tucson. COST: $20 Join us to learn about how a-fib is managed with medications and procedures. Also, learn how lifestyle modifications might help prevent a-fib or reduce symptoms and complications. We're finalizing our program. Here are the experts we have lined up so far. For more information or to register, please visit: http://heart.arizona.edu/ OCTOBER 17, 9-10:30AM - TOUR OF HACIENDA DE LA CANOA. JOIN A WALKING TOUR OF THE CANOA RANCH HEADQUARTERS. For more information contact:www.pima.gov/nrpr, CanoaRanch@pima.gov, or 520-724-5520. Online registration required.
OCTOBER 17 - SPECIAL EXHIBIT: "ANZA RIDES AGAIN!" -- October 17, 2015 through September, 2016. This special exhibit celebrates the 40th anniversary of Arizona's 1975-1976 Bicentennial Re-enactment Ride, the 100th anniversary of the National Parks System, and the 240th anniversary of Juan Bautista de Anza's expedition to Alta California to found the city of San Francisco. The exhibit consists of clothing and equipment used on the re-ride, along with original artifacts from the period of the Expedition. Rare items used to commemorate the re-ride will also be on exhibit. Included with Park admission: $5 adult, $2 youth 7-13, children free. Tubac Presidio State Historic Park, 1 Burruel St., Tubac, AZ (520) 398–2252. OCTOBER 17, 11AM-4PM - MEET THE ARTISTS BONNIE GIBSON AND C. K. WEARDEN AT THE RED DOOR GALLERY. In honor of National Wolf Recovery Week. 10 Plaza Road, 520-398-3943. OCTOBER 17 - ANZA TRAIL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES. During Anza Days we provide safety management for the Anza Trail Color Guard during their ride from the Mission to the Presidio and thankfully that task is covered this year. We do need help with crowd control at the Presidio when they arrive, water for the riders, help in the ATCA outreach booth, etc. Please contact Sandy Coronis to sign up 520-490-6601 coronis222@ att.net. OCTOBER 17 - LIVE MUSIC - BECKY REYES - at Stables Patio in the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa. OCTOBER 18, 2PM - TEODORO ‘TED’ RAMIREZ ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE CONCERT SERIES: PETER MCLAUGHLIN & NICK COVENTRY. National flat-picking guitar champion Peter McLaughlin and violinist, gypsy jazz
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B i r d i n g i n Tu b a c
Watercolor by Myrna York www.myrnayork.com
by John O'Neill
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Th e B o r r o w P i t
ome Tubac insiders visit a place where they peer into a large, swampy hole in the ground, then bang two rocks together, instigating a shrill, blood-curdling whinny from an unseen creature deep in the reeds and willows. Lest readers begin to tremble or dread nightfall after that bone-chilling lead paragraph, some additional facts might sooth anxiety. The hole in the ground is the Borrow Pit, a huge hole in the earth that was excavated beginning in the ‘90s to provide soil for road beds in the Tubac Barrio, those houses and town houses east and south of the main Tubac exit off Interstate-19. The Borrow Pit (more later on those who think that name is the pits) was abandoned when the machinery struck the water table, some 10 or more feet below the surface.
Water and soil in a sunny desert landscape were all that were needed for Mother Nature to do her work. Soon there were marsh grasses and reeds, with trees beginning to dominate in a swamp environment as it evolved over the years.
The upshot is a superb birding spot just off the Anza Trail in the middle of Tubac that enhances the allure of our village, already known nationally as a must-visit destination for field birders who keep score of species seen and search for strays from Mexico. Where is this marvel you might ask, if you’ve lived in Tubac for years and don’t chase birds? There are no signs and no parking lot, but it’s
easy to find. South on the Anza Trail from the bridge, it’s in the second open field on the right. North on the Anza Trail from Clark Crossing Road, it’s in the first open field on the left, between the river and houses in the Barrio. Each is about a half-mile hike from convenient parking areas.
“I identified 50 species during that time with an adult male redhead (duck) and wood duck being the most unusual. A Wilson’s snipe appeared one day and soras were regular.” -Al Ports
There are no plans for further building on the site, said Gary Brasher, a partner in Baca Float Land Development, the owners. “People seem to enjoy it so we let it develop naturally.”
There are no other wetlands in the Tubac area, so the Borrow Pit is a magnet for migrants and nesting birds. For instance, Al Ports, a snowbird birder from New Hampshire, took a folding chair and binoculars to the pit 16 times for one hour each time between Jan. 17 and March 28 this year. “I identified 50 species during that time with an adult male redhead (duck) and wood duck being the most unusual. A Wilson’s snipe appeared one day and soras were regular.” Ports’s winter sightings didn’t include the great spring and fall movements of migrant birds along the nearby Santa Cruz River, bringing warblers, vireos, buntings, bluebirds, grosbeaks and others to the Borrow Pit on their journeys north to nest, and their returns south for winter.
Tubac birders on the regular Tuesday walks last winter and spring saw blue-winged teal, green-winged teal and cinnamon teal (all exquisite little ducks) at the pit, although they were often difficult to
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spot among the vegetation. Each visit had musical accompaniment of the konk-a-ree song of red-winged blackbirds, the varied trill of song sparrows, twittering cheeo of lesser goldfinches, and many others bird lyrics.
The “unseen creatures” in the Borrow Pit are soras, little 8¾ inch rails, marsh birds with gray-brown upperparts, black-and-white belly streaks and oversized lungs. When rocks are tapped together they respond with their shrill calls. They are heard year round at the pit, although not easy to see.
In March, Jim Karp, birding trip leader and genial godfather of Tubac birding, asked on a local birding listserve if perhaps a more glamorous name could be chosen for the Borrow Pit. Borrow pits in construction and civil engineering are holes near major construction projects where material has been dug up for use at another location. Borrow Pit “sounds temporary and is also homely and doesn’t do justice given that it is a good birding spot and the only wetland in Tubac,” wrote Karp.
Others felt there should be some management of the pit, and there was discussion of whether tamarisk, also called saltcedar, plants that require a lot of water, should be controlled.
Given how unorganized Tubac birders are, the name will probably change only when people reach an unofficial consensus on what to call this vibrant wetland and begin using the new name.
A sign on the Anza Trail indicating the presence and location of the wetland would be a nice addition since some migratory birders appear to walk by on the Anza Trail without realizing the bonanza of green-back herons, greentailed towees, sparrows, ducks and other gorgeous birds to be seen with a short detour.
Tuesday bird walks from the Tubac deli will resume in October at 8 a.m. They are free, the only requirements are to bring binoculars and a sense of humor. We usually walk through the village to the bridge, turn south on the Anza Trail Filled with vegetation and water, Tubac's "Borrow Pit" attracts much avian life. His favorite substitute is Tubac Marsh, but to the Tubac Cienega (historical first use Aerial photo by Matt Beemer, Beemer Construction, Tubac. technically a marsh has grasses and reeds, of the name in print), and circle back not trees. “Tubac Swamp doesn’t appeal to west of the Presidio. It takes about three me though technically more accurate,” he said. hours. Depending on mosquito numbers and recent sightings, we may car pool to other venues. “What about Tubac Cienega?” he asked, taken from the Spanish word for a marshy area where groundwater bubbles to the surface and usually evaporates.
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Images: (Above) "The Santa Cruz River in Spring" Triptych in Ink and Watercolor on Rice Paper. The river is the perfect metaphor for life in general but it also connects people and places. Facing page: "Rocks" Ink on Rice Paper. The perfect balance of simplicity and elegance is the hallmark of Sumi-E painting. (Facing page) "Rocks" Ink on Rice Paper the perfect balance of simplicity and elegance is the hallmark of Sumi-E painting. (Below) "The Palo Verde in Bloom" Ink and Watercolor on Rice Paper. Each shape was painted with one and final brush stroke. There is no going back. The speed, the pressure, the amount of ink must all be just right or else the artist abandons the work and begins anew.
"One Stroke One Breath" the works of Myrna York November 8th – 15th - Virginia Hall Studio thoughtfully illuminates aspects of art and occasionally showcases artists. At the Presidio Heritage Gardens, in Arizona’s first state park, she helps to nurture interest and remind visitors of early agriculture. She also works in Father Kino’s herb garden, and maintains a lovely garden of her own, as well. But, Myrna’s efforts do not end here. Her on-going and compelling adventure is in the medium of Sumi-E painting. This specific and philosophical art form requires instruction. She has found some remarkable teachers throughout the country. Sung Sook Seton in New York City, Cheng Khee Chee in Virginia, Yunn Pann in Denver and Joy Mills in Tucson.
Sumi-E is a medium that seems the perfect fit for this complicated and self-actualized woman. In sumi E painting, what may look simple to an observer is actually quite difficult. Ink and brush must be well understood and the eye and hand trusted, before a truly excellent painting can be created. It is in the perfectly balanced execution of stone, ink, stick, brush and paper, that Chi is expressed. It must be neither too much nor too little. It should demonstrate restraint and spontaneity; have movement and peace; be fragile and strong.
After twenty-five years of teaching art and winning awards for excellence in education and the arts, York continues to educate herself in order to share. If you didn’t attend her Sumi-E classes in Tubac (or if you did) be sure you take in her upcoming show, One Stroke One Breath, in November. York obviously accesses joy through the arts. She says Art is Life and Life is Art and she means it. Her culinary skills, musical studies and artwork exemplify a balance of instinct and discipline. She seems tireless in her pursuit of excellence and growth. Not willing to rest on her laurels, she meets regularly with other artists to dialogue about aesthetic concepts and keeps alive her quest to know as much as possible about art’s many faces. But, come see for yourself.
To fully appreciate the beauty of this art you are cordially invited to Chi and Tea as you meet and honor this artist’s work One Stroke One Breath
The home studio/gallery of Virginia Hall at 14 Placita de Anza - north of St. Ann's Church November 8th – 15th. 11AM to 4PM.