'Incredibly talented man': Southwest and Route 66 muralist Doug Quarles dies
He was 72.
"He was just a good, kind, easygoing, incredibly talented man," Donna Hazen, a retired Mosquero teacher, said. "Doug is definitely heaven's gain and Earth's loss."
Quarles was born on March 3, 1953, in Jonesboro, Louisiana. In the 1980s, he moved to Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he started his mural career. He later relocated to Jasper, Texas, and became part of a team that painted murals in the town.
In 2003, he brought his talents to New Mexico.
"One of his dreams was to go out West," his wife Sharon Quarles said.
From 2011 to 2016, while living in Tucumcari, Doug Quarles commuted to Mosquero to teach junior high school and high school students to create murals as part of the "Painting the Town" project that fused local history and art.
"He didn't look like he was very talented when you first saw him, but he had more talent than anyone I met," said Aaron Martinez, a former Mosquero student.
Among the buildings Quarles and the students worked on was Pat's City Bar where then-student Jerome Wheeler painted a picture of his grandfather Leo Garcia, a former cowboy, dry ice plant employee and bus driver.
"We went from being pencil and paper artists to painting murals in just a matter of weeks," Wheeler said.
In Tucumcari, Quarles was known for his paintings — he operated an art gallery with Sharon — as well as the over 50 murals he produced.
"I think he put Tucumcari on the map," said Jerry Mares, Doug Quarles' long-time friend and La Cita Restaurant owner.
On Route 66 are a plethora of murals with subjects ranging from Elvis Presley and his 1959 Cadillac on the Motel Safari, to a life-size vintage "Welcome to Tucumcari" postcard on the side of the chamber of commerce building.
While her husband did not have a favorite mural, Sharon Quarles said he was proud of one called "The Legendary Road," which covers a wall on the side of Lowe's Market.
He liked how it chronicled the history of the area and reminded him of the friends they made there, she said.
In 2013, the Quarles moved to Benson, Arizona, where Doug Quarles created more than 50 new murals, including several railroad-themed works outside the visitor's center.
Like in New Mexico, Doug Quarles took the time to talk to anyone, especially children, who were interested in art.
"He encouraged the kids to think outside the box and always encouraged them to help with projects," said Cindy Allen, president of Benson Clean and Beautiful.
But now, there will be no more murals. No more conversations about art.
"We're hoping we can find another muralist who will work with the kids like Doug did," Allen said.
On the Quarles' website, Doug Quarles wrote, "When I die and go to Heaven and God asks, 'What have you done with the talent I gave you?'
"I would tell Him, I used it all up!"
Doug Quarles, who is survived by his wife Sharon Quarles, daughter Jennifer Slater and sons Jason Quarles and Shane Quarles, will be buried in Jonesboro, Louisiana, on Monday, July 14.
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