Alec Laughlin

It's not that I don't get the cool factor. I really do. I guess I'm just not cool enough to see how one of these in my neighborhood could really be anything but bad news.

I'm pretty sure that I would prefer to have "Lucas the theater major" selling weed out of his apartment next door than a graffiti supply vending machine on the corner next to the neighborhood Red Box.

The saguaro is one of our more unique national treasures. A classic icon of Tucson and the Sonoran Desert Southwest, it is a majestic sight to behold.

Most of us have a pretty strong recollection of the first time we set eyes on one in person. The passenger to first spot a saguaro on a long road trip is rewarded with cheers from fellow travelers, accompanied by groans from those who had hoped to have spotted it first.

One of my latest paintings, "Crow: 3rd Heaven," will be appearing on the cover of the next issue of Fourteen Hills, San Francisco State University's literary publication.

How totally cool is that?

The piece as it is presented on the cover is unfinished, which I really like. I enjoy sharing the process as much as the finished product when it comes to my paintings. Each stage (immediately following a burning, most often) produces a presentable and unique image.

Last week, timing allowed for a very nice visit with photographer Jamey Stillings. He sent me a message on Facebook asking if I was available for dinner as he was on his way to Tucson for some meetings regarding a project he is currently working on.

Tucson’s Parasol Project can chalk up another first with its creation of the Tucson Sculpture Festival.  

The diverse arts organization, whose mission is to build unity through creative expression, is taking the reins of the inaugural event and the group’s Danny Wolverton is leading the charge. 

Recently we had the pleasure and good fortune of having two of our dear friends from Austin stay with us for a few days. I played hooky with them one afternoon and we spent it out and about in Tucson. One of our stops was the Tucson Museum of Art where currently are displayed more than 100 prints from a private collection by Ansel Adams.

A good friend of mine is an avid toy collector. Don't make "40 Year Old Virgin" jokes when you visit him at his apartment for the first time. Trust me, he's heard them all. He lives in a cozy one-bedroom in central Tucson and that bedroom is stocked, floor to ceiling, with collectible toys.

My paintings have always been almost entirely fictitious portraits. From time to time, usually due to the encouragement of others, I make sophomoric attempts at landscapes or, with some improvement, still life. But portraits are without doubt my preference and proclivity.

The micro-blogging world of Facebook and Twitter are one thing. But to deliberately veer from the safety of socially accepted sentence fragments, poor grammar and missing punctuation... I mean, this opens me up to another world of criticism.