ORO VALLEY, Ariz. (KGUN) — Local muralist Joe Pagac has completed a new mural for Desert Drifter Coffee at 10335 North La Cañada Drive, featuring a dramatic phoenix rising from the ashes that deliberately incorporates the café’s existing brick elements and honors cowboy spirit and the golden blooms of the region’s palo verdes.
Pagac, who shared with me the exclusive details, said he worked closely with the Desert Drifter team, who “really liked the idea of the focal point being a phoenix.” He added, “They let me get weird with it, and it's much more what I want to be painting... many times, I'll pitch surreal stuff to other clients and get turned down, so I really appreciate Desert Drifter — they let me do my thing. I can keep having fun with it... I like to do work that's sometimes a little out there, more surreal.”
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Earlier this month, Pagac spent time in Buckeye, AZ, completing a community-driven mural at Verrado and Van Buren. He said the piece celebrates local desert life — blooming prickly pear and saguaro, a big Buckeye over the Gila River, a horseback rider splashing through water with dogs at golden hour, agricultural themes with an old‑fashioned plow, evening storms turned orange by sunset, a Gila monster and California poppies — and was shaped by community input. See it in the video below:
Asked what’s next, Pagac laughed and teased a playful downtown project: “The mural I designed for Grant and Swan that I'll start in a week is so me, my design features a cowboy on a floatie, doing fun stuff, with fun animals, and more... we'll leave it at that for now.”
The Desert Drifter mural is open for public viewing; Pagac encouraged passersby to stop and take photos.
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