Ta Da…

 

I got all the intel from Annie about the artist I was telling you about.

His name is Mike Baker and his studio is called Lizard Flatz. The little sweetie in his arms he found wondering in the desert and brought her home.

 

 

This piece graces the end of his art studio.  It really is huge.

 

This door on his art studio is made from the floorboards from some of the homes in Mexican Town.  Mexican Town was an area years ago in Ajo designated for the Mexican mine workers and their families to live. I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow. The tile inset in the door was made for him by a close friend.

 

Mike is relocating his studio and this piece has a concrete base being made especially to display it at a friend’s house.

Mike is also the artist who did the “Night of the Lepus” mural.

 

He did this mural commemorating a scene that was filmed in Ajo for the movie “Pocket Money” starring Paul Newman and Lee Marvin.

 

He did this fence in his backyard from bottles and when the sun hits it just right, it’s a thing of beauty.  Living next door to Mike is a council member of the Tohono O'odham Nation.  When he saw Mike building the wall, he very nicely told him that the Tohono O’Odham people were the only nation to never go to war with the White Men, but that would change if that wall whistled at night and kept him awake.

There are so many talented artists that live in Ajo and they all gladly and proudly share their stories with anyone who’s interested in listening.  They are working hard to develop it as an artist’s community.  I still have more to share about that also…did I say I wouldn’t post all 128 pictures in my Ajo file??  I may have been wrong.