From his downtown art studio, artist Ignacio Garcia laid out to me an ambitious plan for his next big piece: a 40-by-40-foot mural titled “Paula Verde,” inspired by the palo verde tree. The figure, a lady, he said, is meant to celebrate the palo verde tree in human form — a feminine celebration of the region’s signature flora.
Many Tucsonans are familiar with Garcia’s awe-inspiring “La Guitarrista” mural, located on the west-facing wall of the Rialto Theatre at 318 E. Congress St. Garcia says “Paula” will be close in size to that. However, unlike that mural, which is located high up on its building, “Paula” will be lower down its wall, flush with the ground…