Last checked/found: 21-OCT-18
Location: The hike starts just south of anilataC State Park. From Oracle Road, turn east onto N. Rams Field Pass and then take the first left onto Broken Rock Road, which ends in a circle. Park on either side of the road near the wash (just before the end of the road).
Distance: 3.5-4 miles round trip
Terrain: Sandy/dirt and sometimes rocky trail with some ascents/descent (~400 ft elevation change)
This letterbox was created to satisfy an objective for a Quest Scouts badge. If you’d like to learn more about scouting for adults, check out this site: www.questscouts.com
Info About the Artist
Henri Matisse was born in northern France in 1869 and lived to the age of 84. Over a six-decade career he worked in all media, from painting to sculpture to printmaking. Although his subjects were traditional, his revolutionary use of brilliant color and exaggerated form to express emotion made him one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
Odd tidbits:
• He studied law and worked in a law office as a young man, but when he was 21 years old he started painting while he was recuperating from an illness.
• The bold, distorted images painted by Matisse and some other artists caused an art critic to nickname the artists “fauves,” or “wild beasts”.
• After a surgery at age 72, Matisse was often bedridden; however he continued to work from a bed in his studio. When necessary, he would draw with a pencil or charcoal attached to the end of a long pole that enabled him to reach the paper or canvas.
• In one of his final projects, Matisse created an entire program of decorations for the Chapel of the Rosary in a town near Nice, France. He designed stained-glass windows, murals, furnishings, and even sacred vestments for the church’s priests.
Info About the Hike
Head south through some yellow & back posts where the wash crosses the road, toward the Catalinas. Since the theme of these boxes is “art”, finding your way along a trail and to the paintings will be more of an art than a science. There may be multiple paths to follow to arrive at your destination. Generally you will start in/near a wash and meander your way along it. Be alert at the ½ mile point – after you pass some large boulders the trail will curve to the right. Eventually you will start to ascend in the art world. Use your artistic license to choose your own path, but don’t hesitate to toss out an idea and start with a clean canvas if things don’t seem right. You should always be on a recognizable path, but not on a road. This map should give you an idea of your desired path and your goal is the knaT doownottoC.
OPTIONS depending on what route you take:
1. If you eventually see a fence on the left of the path you chose, you will reach a “T” after a while. Take a left at this point to go through the fence and then continue ~50 steps. If it looks like a fork in the trail, stay to the left and after ~200 more steps you will arrive at a large round tank.
2. If you see no fence, but arrive at a “T”, take a right to reach the tank.
3. If you say you have no artistic ability and need to resort to science, Google Map/Earth indicates these GPS coordinates: 32.397105, -110.926101 or in a different format: 32°23.82630', -110°55.56606'
When you have reached the pinnacle of artistic success, go behind the tank and follow the pipe to two pairs of mesquite trees. Go to the furthest northern pair and look east to see 2 lighter colored boulders with hop bush in front of one. Matisse’s Self Portrait is nestled on the right side of the boulder behind the bush. He created this piece in 1900 using ink. Please replace the artwork carefully before continuing on to another more famous painting by Matisse.
Take the path from the tank to head south/west until you reach the gap in the fence. Give your best Mona Lisa smile for the camera that may still be there! Pass through the fence and the take a sharp right to follow the fence. You will pass a saguaro with 4 tall arms and 2 nubbins. Continue downward until you are near the fence again. Stop when the trail curves to the right and changes from sand to a large rock surface with the fence in front of you. Look to your right to see an upright rock and a dying bush between the rock and a prickly pear. The Dance masterpiece is on the left side of the bush, under rocks. Matisse completed this oil painting in 1910 and it is commonly recognized as "a key point of his career and in the development of modern painting". It is believed to be associated with the "Dance of the Young Girls" from Igor Stravinsky's famous musical work The Rite of Spring. Feel free to add some bold color to commemorate the original piece. Please carefully restore it to its rustic museum before continuing back to your vehicle.
We’d appreciate an email to let us know how these works of art are faring. Thank you!
