Downtown Tucson is now home to Arizona’s tallest mural. Artist Joe Pagac recently completed “Desert Colossus,” which depicts a large saguaro standing tall in front of a bright blue background.  The mural is on the North facing wall of the TransAmerica building at 177 N. Church Ave.

“For a while I was trying to one up myself with murals square footage wise, but now I am going for the tallest. I like to outdo myself when it comes to my art,” said Pagac.

Pagac spent over six months photographing different saguaros he came across in Arizona and incorporated the imperfections and scars from many different saguaros into his piece. 

“It’s not your typical green saguaro. The top is leaning slightly to the left and has some dryer brownish spots, as well as four slightly offset arms,” he said.

While he said that his normal art style generally has a lot more stuff going on and personal details, the owners of the building that he was painting on specifically wanted the saguaro to be the sole focus, and that it would also be big enough to be seen from an airplane.

“It has character while still being iconic,” said Pagac.

Creating the tallest mural in Arizona has come with many challenges, one of those being the artist’s fear of heights. 

“The first week and a half up here was terrifying. You have to walk like a ninja because anytime you walk on the scaffolding it bounces and swings, and the wind will blow us side to side. It’s really hard to paint on a wall that’s moving,” said Pagac. 

Another challenge he faced was balancing the design to create a piece that the public would enjoy, while also satisfying a private donor, and meeting the expectations of the building’s owners.

This mural was  painted with vibrant Nova Color paints specifically made for outdoor murals and are UV resistant. Pagac used paint sprayers to cover the large canvas.

“It’s almost like giant graffiti,” he said. 

Pagac said that any work of art he is designing for the public is created with two main goals in mind. 

“First is to give people more of an appreciation for the Sonoran desert around them, and the second is to make them smile while they are driving to work,” he said.  

Tucson has seen a surge in murals over the past 20 years, creating a new attraction for the city. Numerous walking tours now showcase the vibrant murals in the downtown area. Local businesses also appreciate these attractions as it draws in many tourists and shoppers to their doorsteps.

“The murals add to the city’s colorful and vibrant atmosphere, making Tucson feel alive,” said Pagac.

Pagac, along with his co-painter and wife, Lenka Vašíčková, worked overtime to complete the project, getting on the job early mornings until it was finished earlier this week. 

“This is one of the first projects in a few years that I have been genuinely excited to be working on,” said Pagac.

The mural is so large that they were unable to see the full scope of their work when they were pressed up against the building. After each day, they had to drive about a mile away to see that day’s progress. 

“It’s really fun to see it coming to life,” Pagac said in the days before he finished.

The artist, who recently completed two large murals at the new Roadies Lanes + Games + Gastropub next to Roadhouse Cinemas on East Grant Road, is hoping to outdo himself on his next work of art. He has his eye on a project painting the 17-story Tucson House on North Oracle Road.  

“Like I said, I like to outdo myself,” said Pagac. 

He has been trying to create a new mural at the Tucson House for the last few years and he is hoping his current project will show locals he is capable of creating super tall works of art. 

Jeanne McDonald, the philanthropist who financed the $100,000 for this mural’s creation, said that she “really likes art, and was trying to find a way to beautify Tucson,” when she found this project through her friend Jannie Cox, a long time Rio Nuevo board member who spearheaded the ongoing El Presidio beautification project.

“I think people are really going to enjoy it,” McDonald said of Desert Colossus. “It is so visible, and I think it is going to be a really big presence in Tucson. The saguaro cactus is so unique to Arizona, and it is especially so meaningful to the Tucson area, as we have so many of them here.”

McDonald has previously worked with Pagac when she funded the “Bicycle Built for Two” sculpture of a javelina riding a bike on the loop in Tucson, which was later vandalized. 

Among other charitable donations she has made to better Tucson, including donating to the organization Youth on Their Own, she is now also donating to a playground project for Intermountain Centers at 401 N. Bonita Ave. The playground project will provide a sensory friendly enrichment park for people with Autism. 

“I would rather do something for the public that everyone can enjoy instead of just buying something for my house or yard that only I would see,” she said. 

She also added that in the future she would love to make a donation to help people experiencing homelessness in Tucson.

Cox said that the planning process for this project was super exciting and overall pretty smooth. As soon as she and McDonald saw the TransAmerica building and Pagac’s proposed sketch, they knew they had the perfect location for this piece. Cox said her main goal was to celebrate the history of the surrounding El Presidio neighborhood.

“Long before anyone lived in this area, the saguaro was there. It is such a beautiful symbol of Tucson,” said Cox.

Cox said that the mural is expected to contribute tons of color, and an increased interest to the area. So far she and her team have received nothing but positive feedback and excitement about the art work. 

The mural’s official unveiling will be celebrated with a small gathering on Friday, March 21, at the Presidio San Agustín del Tucson Museum, 196 N. Court Ave.

Arizona Sonoran News is a news service of the University of Arizona School of Journalism.