Tucson artist Ignacio Garcia will present his newly unveiled 1,200-square-foot mural, “Twilight Sonoran,” to the public this weekend at Tohono Chul, marking a significant addition to the garden’s 40-year history.

Inside the Garden Pavilion, sweeping blue tones, towering saguaros and shadowed desert plants form a starlit scene in the largest work of Garcia’s career.

The Valentine’s Day “I Heart Art — Love At First Sight” fundraiser gave attendees an early look ahead of the public opening.

“I felt honored to have so many people there, especially it being Valentine’s Day,” Garcia told Tucson Spotlight. “A lot of people were shocked by the size and beauty of it. They were very emotional.”

Spanning the pavilion interior, the piece shifts perspective from a human vantage point to that of a nocturnal creature, imagined through the eyes of a grasshopper mouse. Deep blue tones, layered brushwork and subtle monsoon clouds stretch across the walls, where towering saguaros rise above shadowed prickly pear, and the fine detail of individual leaves emerges at close range. The shift in scale draws viewers into the desert landscape at ground level, emphasizing both the vastness and intricacy of the scene.

The unveiling marks a significant moment in Tohono Chul’s 40-year history, blending the garden’s natural setting with Tucson’s contemporary mural movement.

“Considering that it was a garden before, the environment was mostly gray with no identity,” said Tohono Chul Chief Executive Officer Jamie Maslyn Larson.

Developed in partnership with the town of Oro Valley, the project is intended to promote creative placemaking in the community, transforming the pavilion’s neutral backdrop into an immersive public art space. The installation also functions as a living gallery and a photography backdrop, incorporating desert imagery into future events held at the site.

“We were pretty surprised about the monochromatic approach, but it really is so soothing and so powerful,” Larson said. “Being able to showcase the life of the Sonoran Desert at night is part of our mission as an organization.”

The project began as a digital concept, with Garcia mapping how the nocturnal desert scene would extend across the Garden Pavilion. The transition from screen to surface allowed him to treat the structure as a three-dimensional canvas, aligning painted shadows and light with the pavilion’s natural illumination.

“It was an honor to have a public display this large to represent the true beauty of Tucson,” Garcia said. “What I love about the Pavilion is the intimacy of the place.”

Garcia used his signature brush-only technique, reflecting his commitment to what he describes as “slow art.” The deliberate, hand-layered process mirrors the gradual growth of the saguaros surrounding Tohono Chul.

The finished mural creates a sense of intimacy, encouraging visitors to move along the wall and experience the imagery as they walk through the space. The measured approach allowed the work to integrate with the garden’s surroundings and become a lasting feature of the pavilion.

“My goal was for this piece to be seductive,” Garcia said. “I wanted to be bold with the blue, and the reaction was authentic. It really showcased the complexity while staying true to the beauty of what we call home.”

As Tucson continues to grow, “Twilight Sonoran” underscores a central message of the project: that the Sonoran Desert is not empty after dark, but alive with activity long after the city goes to sleep.

Isabel Vidrio is a journalism major at the University of Arizona and Tucson Spotlight intern. Contact her at vidrioi@arizona.edu.

Tucson Spotlight is a community-based newsroom that provides paid opportunities for students and rising journalists in Southern Arizona. Please consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation.