First Look: See Ignacio Garcia's forthcoming mural 'Paula Verde'

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 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.

VIDEO: FIRST LOOK - SEE 'PAULA VERDE' NOW + Garcia talks up his forthcoming mural:

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.

Details such as the exact location of "Paula Verde" are not yet available. “It’s still in progress right now,” Garcia said, leaving both the site and some logistics to be announced later. What is clear is his timeline: Garcia plans to start and complete the work in April — a tight schedule prompted in part by the approaching heat of the Tucson summer. “I want to do it in one month… it’s going to get hot after a while,” he told me.

The timing of the piece's release coincides with the first annual Palo Verde Bloom Festival, an event the artist views as a perfect match for his botanical muse. The inaugural Palo Verde Bloom Festival in Tucson is a month-long event taking place throughout April 2026. Organized by the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the celebration, which highlights the city's spring, culture and nature, features a kickoff event called "BloomFest" on March 28, 2026, at the Kino South Sports Complex, with various activities continuing throughout April. For event schedule, details and more, visit the official Palo Verde Bloom Festival site.

Garcia's "Paula Verde" will be featured on the Palo Verde Bloom Festival's limited-edition official poster (above), available for free at select local businesses during the festival—while supplies last (there will only be about 5,000 available).

"Paula Verde" is set to join a growing wave of large-scale public artworks reshaping Tucson’s urban landscape. If the studio plan holds to schedule, we will soon have a new, massive centerpiece — a homage to the palo verde that blends local ecology, portraiture and a dash of theatrical scale - and April will bring both a new mural and a fresh reason for visitors and residents to experience Tucson in bloom.