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Tumamoc Sketchbook

Art & Science on Tumamoc Hill, Tucson's sacred mountain.

Author: Paul Martin Mirocha

Paul is artist-in-residence on Tumamoc Hill, an ecological preserve, historical landmark, and community icon surrounded by urban Tucson, Arizona.
July 2, 2022July 3, 2022

Silence on the mountain

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spalding plot 4, before and after the 2021 monsoon
November 20, 2021November 20, 2021

Measuring the Monsoon

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leonardo's note book on tree branching
July 22, 2021

Leonardo’s Rule and the Geometry of Nature

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fossilized ammonite shell
May 29, 2021September 20, 2021

What is the Golden Spiral? To find out, let’s draw one.

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scanned mesquite beans
August 15, 2020May 11, 2021

The unbearable lightness of beans

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A Pinacate beetle or stinkbug prepares to defend itself on the Tumamoc Road.
April 17, 2020April 18, 2020

All’s Quiet on the Mountain

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Student's field sketch from Saguaro class
April 2, 2020April 2, 2020

Saguaros: Portraits of Giants.

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Student in the Tumamoc Art & Science OCurse draws a live desert tortoise
February 19, 2020March 30, 2020

The Spring Tumamoc Art & Science Course

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gila monster sketch by Barbara Terkanian
March 3, 2019March 4, 2019

The New Tumamoc Art & Science Course

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trout_meriwether lewis explorer notebook
May 11, 2018August 29, 2019

Field Notebooks

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pencil sketch for a Sonoran Desert Panorama, by Paul Mirocha
March 28, 2018March 31, 2018

The Tumamoc Art & Science Course

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March 3, 2018August 29, 2019

Scientists who draw: part I

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December 23, 2017

10,000 Years of Field Notes

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iphone screen with tumamoc icon
September 27, 2017October 16, 2022

The Tumamoc Tour mobile phone app

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Sonoran Plant Garden #1, by Paul Mirocha
September 9, 2017

Sideways glances and hidden entanglements

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June 29, 2017June 29, 2017

Bambi sighted on Tumamoc Hill

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November 25, 2016August 29, 2019

A Serial Painter at Large

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fallen saguaro sgp5 on Tuammoc Hill, photo by Paul Mirocha
November 1, 2016August 31, 2017

R.I.P. SGP5

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Leo's saguaro
October 28, 2016October 28, 2016

Tumamoc Sketchbook has a new design

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March 3, 2016August 29, 2019

Sonoran Desert: The Poem

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Journal of the Southwest cover
January 20, 2016August 29, 2019

Tumamoc Hill in Journal of the Southwest

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December 25, 2015July 7, 2019

Invisible Birds

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December 22, 2015August 29, 2019

Happy Saguaro Drawing

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Rain storm from tumamoc hill, photo by Paul Mroha
October 20, 2015August 29, 2019

On Randomness

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September 20, 2015August 29, 2019

What the Ancestors Ate

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August 17, 2015August 29, 2019

Tumamoc Road Signs

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Building 802, Historic desert Lab, by William Hartman
July 15, 2015August 15, 2015

Mondays on the Mountain

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Desert Botanical Lab on Tumamoc Hill 1911
June 17, 2015October 24, 2016

Post Cards from the Lab

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The Desert Lab on Tumamoc Hill at sunset
April 22, 2015June 17, 2015

A Room with a View

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February 15, 2015August 29, 2019

Tumamoc Artists Open at Tohono Chul Gallery

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marlon evans portrait
February 7, 2015February 11, 2015

Marlon Evans: O’odham Poet On Tumamoc Hill

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Scorpion Evuiae, photogram by Chip Hegecock
January 28, 2015February 11, 2015

Tumamoc at Tohono Chul

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January 7, 2015January 8, 2015

Please Protect Tumamoc

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Liminous Mother. 2013. Photo by Paul Mirocha
December 11, 2014December 16, 2014

The Mother of Tumamoc

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November 1, 2014December 1, 2014

Mondays on the Mountain 1

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October 24, 2014August 29, 2019

I Stand with Saguaros

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Harris' Antelope squirrel, illustration by Paul Mirocha
September 9, 2014

Signs of Things to Come

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Como Park lawns. photo by Paul Mirocha
August 7, 2014December 16, 2014

Vacation in Tlalocan

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maY snake procession
June 6, 2014August 29, 2019

It Happened This Way

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May 10, 2014May 10, 2014

A Tumamoc Book Event at Antigone Books

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Saguaro watercolor by barbara terkanian
May 5, 2014

Sonoran Arts Network Reviews Tumamoc Book

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wheat-paste mural on tumamoc water tank
April 14, 2014April 23, 2014

Who’s That Woman on the Water Tower?

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April 1, 2014July 7, 2021

March Mondays

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Bill Singleton and watercolor sketch
March 13, 2014July 7, 2021

UA News: TPoE, POG, & TFoB

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February 20, 2014October 16, 2022

This Piece of Earth

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this is not a picture
February 17, 2014February 17, 2014

Talk About Tumamoc, Please

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Tuesday artists on Tuammoc
February 1, 2014February 1, 2014

Tuesday Afternoon

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Cassien painting in desert Lab garden by Bill Singleton
January 23, 2014

Tuesdays on Tumamoc

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Saguaro SGP5by Meredith Milstead
December 23, 2013November 3, 2021

Our Favorite Saguaro

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December 16, 2013December 21, 2013

Painting Out on Tumamoc #2

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November 21, 2013November 9, 2021

Painting Out on Tumamoc

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Unfinished Sketch, Saguaros
November 7, 2013October 16, 2022

This Piece of Earth

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saguaro-arms photo by paul mirocha
September 18, 2013September 20, 2013

Saguaro Arms

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Cover image for 1st issue of Edible Baja Arizona
August 16, 2013

Edible Baja Arizona

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Saguaro flower stages, pastel by Meredith Milstead.
July 31, 2013August 16, 2013

Meredith Milstead

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Gila monster
July 19, 2013July 19, 2013

Gila Monsters Walk the Hill

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UA Downtown window exhibit
July 10, 2013

Dreaming Down the Rain: The Movie

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July 5, 2013November 9, 2021

Dreaming Down the Rain: 2

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Mosaic of installation in UA Downtown store front.
July 2, 2013

Dreaming Down the Rain

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May 27, 2013November 10, 2021

The Beauty of Dead Plants: Take 2

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scanned winter annual plants from Tumamoc
April 24, 2013May 26, 2013

Knee Flowers

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Gila Monster
April 20, 2013April 20, 2013

Gila Monster!

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From the Remotest Nebulae to Lichens on the Rocks. ? Paul Mirocha
April 11, 2013April 15, 2013

Curating the Cosmos

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Prickly Pear cactus by Barbara Terkanian
March 15, 2013March 15, 2013

Festival of Books

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Plot 8_ Meredith Milstead
March 6, 2013March 13, 2013

Sunday Afternoon

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Matching the study site to repeat photography from the files.
February 22, 2013March 8, 2013

Exploring Unknown Tumamoc

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snowstorm on tumamoc hill
February 21, 2013December 27, 2021

Chasing Rainbows

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January 30, 2013January 31, 2013

Rainbows

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January 27, 2013December 27, 2021

Enchanted by the Sun

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freeze burn ? Paul Mirocha
January 21, 2013March 8, 2013

Freeze Burn

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January 12, 2013January 13, 2013

Contemplative Biology

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Nail used to mark boundary of plot 9
December 15, 2012December 19, 2012

Number Nine

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November 23, 2012

POG Talk: Part 2

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Title slide: Tumamoc: Taking a place apart and putting it back together
November 12, 2012March 19, 2013

POG Talk: Part1

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saguaro flower series botaincal plate
October 18, 2012December 3, 2016

Proximities

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October 13, 2012

Poets Take Action

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Clouds building over the Catalina Mountains, viewed from Tumamoc. Notice the green tint of the mountains.
October 7, 2012

Tlaloc’s Law: Part 2

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September 30, 2012September 30, 2012

Tlaloc’s Law: Part 1

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August 10, 2012August 13, 2012

Monsoons over Downtown

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saguaro flower series botaincal plate
July 30, 2012July 31, 2012

Rainmaker

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gigapan image of downtown Tucson from Tumamoc Hill
July 18, 2012

The Largest Photograph

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Saguaro Landscape, watercolor by Barbara Terkanian
July 14, 2012July 19, 2012

Clouds, a Poem, a Dead Saguaro, and a Painting

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Solstice calendar stone, Tumamoc hill
July 9, 2012January 16, 2014

Tumamoc’s Sun Arrow

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monsoon rain over downtown Tucson from Tumamoc Hill
July 4, 2012July 10, 2012

The Last Photograph

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Meredith Milstead's rattler drawing
June 23, 2012June 26, 2012

We Find a Snake

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Tumamoc Hill from A-mountain after a rain storm
June 19, 2012June 19, 2012

First Monsoon

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Unfinished Gila monster sketch by Paul Mirocha
June 12, 2012August 1, 2012

A pencil: the best of eyes

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snapshot from Gigapan of downtown Tucson from Tumamoc summit
June 10, 2012

More Gigapans

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transit of venus
June 6, 2012October 16, 2022

Unrelated Things

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Saguaro fruit by Meridith Milstead, pastel
June 4, 2012

On Location

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May 30, 2012

Tumamoc’s First Gigapan

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Plein air watercolor painting by Barb Terkanian
May 28, 2012

Saturday watercolor

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Solar eclipse from Tumamoc Hill, Sunday, May 20, 2012
May 22, 2012May 27, 2012

Solar Eclipse

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Old Desert Lab door and window reflect the hill.
May 9, 2012June 10, 2012

The Patio Garden

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rainstorm over Tucson
May 8, 2012

Seeing

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April plant calendar
April 30, 2012May 11, 2012

Yellow Moon

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saguaro buds
April 26, 2012May 8, 2012

The Daily Saguaro Flower

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April 24, 2012April 26, 2012

Sketching. Yes, Again.

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April 12, 2012

Ocotillo Bloom

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April 12, 2012

Desert Laboratory Series

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About this website

This site is maintained by Paul Mirocha, Artist-in-Residence at the Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill, which is owned by the University of Arizona. On the Hill, a small group of artists and invited creatives of all kinds create projects and collaborate with scientists to expand understanding and appreciation of the beauty of the Sonoran Desert region.

The Tumamoc Sketchbook is a record of these ideas and projects. Subscribe to stay informed.

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