Welcome to La Corua 
digital art from a Sonoran heart.

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My Tucson
My Tucson
I am a retired digital artist, graphics/web designer, grandmother, former horticulturalist, and social justice advocate devoted to honoring life, community and culture in Sonoran Arizona. Formerly in business named after a mythical guardian water serpent from the Pimeria Alta known as La Corua *, I continue sharing works of art, inspirations, and resources under this mythical namesake.

None of my work is for sale. I produce now solely as labors of love, and to shine light on things  that fill me with joy, anger, and wonder.  My inspirations come from  the   bottomless well-spring of empathy available to everyone.  Curiosity and empathy are structurally omitted in so much of our society and the world in general, and I am doing  my small part to keep it alive. I do believe it is needed now more than ever.

Long in the making, finally here:
the late Ed Keeylocko, of Cowtown Keeylocko, AZ
Born Edward J. Brooks, a black man who had faced adversity all  his life, he wanted a place where everyone was welcome - from immigrants to city folks who stumbled off the beaten path.  
An Army Ranger who fought in both the  Korean and Vietnam wars, Ed Keeylocko started his own town southwest of Tucson after his cows were rejected at a local auction when it was discovered he was black.
Read more about who he was and how he inspired me HERE.
This painting was inspired by a photo courtesy of Brandi McDowell in an article in the AZ Republic.
Rancher built tiny town on a dream. What happens now that he's gone?
Related article:
Black cowboys were common in the Old West. Here's a piece of their forgotten history.
~  Spirits of Tucson's Birthplace  ~
  • I'itoi , Elder Brother and Creator of the Tohono O'odham people. He is represented as the famous "Man in the Maze" Path of Life design.  He brought the gift of Himdag, "The Way"; guiding people to live in balance with the world and interact with it as the Creator intended.
  • La Virgen de Guadalupe / Tonanztin , pre-Hispanic Aztec Mother goddess turned patron saint of Mexico, also revered as Queen of the Americas. For Tucson, the Virgin of Guadalupe is Nuestra Sonora, 'Our Lady'.
Before the Spanish conquerors, the missionaries, and long before Anglo-Europeans, a large swathe of the Southwest belonged to the Tohono O'odham people; from South in Sonora, Mexico, to Central Arizona just north of Phoenix, west to the Gulf of California, and east to the San Pedro River. This region was known as the Papagueria, later La Pimeria Alta, and was home to the O’odham for thousands of years. Tucson began as a small O'odham settlement on the west bank Santa Cruz  River named Chuk Shon-- "Black Base"-- for the black rock that covered a small nearby mountain. When Padre Kino and  Spaniards established missions there, the name evolved into "Tuc-son", as they were best able to pronounce it. (The pronunciation would evolve again into "TOOsahn" to accommodate the English language.) The black mountain for which the original village was named is now known as Sentinel Peak, "A" Mountain.

My largest single project:
En Memoriam
A collection of works honoring asylum seekers, 2019