Local Feature: Carly Quinn Designs
One of our greatest loves is the local Tucson culture. Just one peek into our Tucson vacation homes and you’ll easily see how much we adore the Southwest desert vibes. Part of celebrating the local culture is celebrating those who make it what it is - the artisans, craftsmen, and business owners that call Tucson home. We have a soft spot in our hearts for amazing female artists and entrepreneurs, and one of our absolute favorite local artists is Carly Quinn of Carly Quinn Designs. Carly is a local custom tile artist and her work is beyond fabulous. So, today, we’re introducing you to Carly, her gorgeous work, and highlighting our collaboration with her on an exclusive design just for you!
TRAINING + TECHNIQUE
Carly is an artist by both education and trade, and holds a degree in Illustration and Fine Arts from The Art Center Design College. She has been a professional artist for nearly 20 years, working with hand-painted custom tiles during the majority of that time. Over a decade ago, Carly opened her own stunning studio and gallery space in downtown Tucson, and has been beautifying spaces with her unique work ever since.
Carly uses a centuries-old technique called Cuerda Seca, which translates as “dry cord” in Spanish. This technique utilizes a waxy substance to create outlines of the shapes so that the glaze colors do not run together, and intricate patterns can be achieved. Each tile is made on a {{terra cotta}} clay, with a hand drawn design. The tile is then glazed by hand with some of the most incredible colors - some are even custom blended by Carly! Once the glaze has dried, it is kiln-fired on site and then either set on a cork backer or into a larger frame for a wall hanging. From start to finish, the process can take several days to several weeks, depending on the size of the mural.
Carly is well-known around Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Southern California for her stunning and detailed designs that radiate the beauty of the southwest and the timelessness of this art style.
WHERE TO SEE THE ART
Mural and fireplace hearth tile at The Verde House
Carly’s showroom is located just south of downtown Tucson in the Five Points area, close to Barrio Viejo. We highly recommend stopping in to see all of her gorgeous designs that are made by hand on-site. Be prepared to become obsessed - the showroom is full of eye candy! With Carly’s impeccable attention to detail and commitment to the southwestern culture as well as Tucson’s local art scene, we knew as soon as we saw her work that we needed a collaboration!
If you stay at our Verde House, you will see one of her stunning til murals hanging on the wall in the dining room - a colorful piece featuring bright yellow and orange prickly pear blooms. We also worked with Carly to create a custom colorway for the fireplace hearth on a serape pattern. Tile murals add color and interest on the patios at Casa Palma and Oasis Casita, featuring desert scenes with giant saguaro cacti in bloom, lush agave plants, and a hummingbird or two.
Carly Quinn Designs x Vacay in Tucson Collaboration
We absolutely love decorating our Tucson vacation rental homes with Carly Quinn’s work, and know our guests love it too–that’s why we’ve collaborated with Carly to create one-of-a-kind tile trivets for you to have a little piece of Tucson in your home and use in your daily life. Carly Quinn has created a stunning Carly Quinn Designs x Vacay in Tucson Tile Trivet, that you can purchase from our online store! We can ship it to you, or for guests staying at one of our vacation homes we can have it waiting for you at your arrival.
Measuring 6 inches square, and complete with a secure cork backing, this cute tile is the perfect use in your kitchen to protect your countertop (it can withstand very hot pans!) or even hang it on the wall as art. The custom design features the Santa Catalina mountains, saguaro and prickly pear cacti, and a sweet little hummingbird. Each trivet is delicately hand-painted and reflects the quality of handmade craftsmanship. Order yours now >
HOLA TUCSON!
– NEW! – We’re obsessed! We just released our newest tile trivet TRIPLE collaboration! Many of our vacation homes feature a gorgeous “Hola Tucson” mural that is handpainted by the talented Ashley White of Modern Aquarian. We shrunk the mural to fit on a trivet so you can have a piece of Tucson in your home. The glaze used for the saguaro is super unique and looks green and brown in different light. Bordered with a deep night sky blue, the colors were carefully selected to bring the best of the desert to your home. Order yours now >
SUPPORT LOCAL
If you love supporting local artisans as much as we do, we highly encourage you to grab one of these sweet little trivets. It's a perfect way to bring a little southwestern love into your home - without any of the prickly parts! And at only $30, they make an affordable gift for other southwest lovers in your life. And if you’d like to shop the rest of the Carly Quinn Designs collection (she has wall art, more trivets, house address numbers, and more) then visit her Etsy shop here. We love her work and are so excited about this collaboration - and more of her art gracing our walls in the future!
Carly Quinn Designs is located just south of downtown Tucson in the 5 Points area at 730 S. Russell Avenue, Tucson, AZ. 85701. Visit their website or call for hours, especially on weekends!