Welcome to La Corua
digital art from a Sonoran heart.
I am a retired digital artist, graphics/web designer, horticulturalist, grandmother, 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, sorrow, and wonder. My inspirations come from the bottomless well-spring of empathy available to everyone. Empathy and wonder are in short supply today and I just do my small part to keep them alive. |
Long in the making,
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.
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 ~
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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.
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