Dyana Hesson

Lessons From Aunt Marion

Dreaming of an Arizona Beauty Haven

I’ve been down some serious rabbit trails lately. I blame my great Aunt Marion Roan, who I  just meet through her diaries. You’ll be hearing more about Marian and her life on the Verde Antique Ranch* in Foresthill, California from me soon, but for now, I have a clipping! **

When this newspaper clipping fell from Marion’s diary, I knew I was hooked. It’s from the San Francisco Examiner – Monday, March 21, 1949. The clipping left a yellow impression on the pages. And her life has sure left an impression on me. The article reads,

“Pounds and Care Vanish at Arizona Beauty Haven,” Busy program and refreshing diet fill days at desert resort. Arizona Main Chance under the desert skies, near Phoenix, is a haven for weary women. Here can be found health, hope and beauty renewed by restful hours and skillful hands.” Writer Susan Smith  goes on to describe her magical stay at the beauty resort operated by Elizabeth Arden.

I understand why my aunt Marion penciled three big X’s on the article. She, like many women today, was craving rest, adventure, and a change of pace. She worked from sun up to sun down on the ranch. She was dreaming of a getaway.

So, I wondered, where was this resort?

My research led me to the Phoenician Resort, at the foot of Camelback Mountain, where Elizabeth Arden purchased an existing estate and modeled her luxury spa after her rural farm spa in Central Maine.

Smith’s article goes on to say “There is also the magic of the dinner hour, which provides both thin and fat tables, to which one is assigned kindly get firmly by experts in beauty-building.”

Guests like Mamie Eisenhower came yearly for skillful massages, exercise classes, and afternoons by the pool drinking ice-cold vegetable juices.

Sounds dreamy, but where is the resort today? This led me to a blog by Boyce Thompson. You see, the original estate was likely was owned by the family of Jessie Benton Evans, who was a painter and owned a small home on 40 acres at the base of Camelback mountain. (Oh! A painter? A rabbit trail for another day, Dyana) Apparently, 12 of those acres were gifted to a son and daughter in-law who built the adobe estate  in 1926. 

The adobe estate became the Jokake Inn. The inn was purchased by Mabel Maud Thompson Wilson (sister of Colonel William Boyce Thompson of the Arizona arboretum fame) In 1946, Elizabeth Arden transformed the estate into her Main Chance Arizona resort.

And where is that beautiful adobe inn today? 

According to the Thompson blog, the estate was still there when the Phoenician first opened in 1988, but when Starwood bought the resort, it was razed to make room for canyon suites.

For whatever reason, I pine for old places and stories. And I contemplate the daily lives of those who came before me and think about how very similar we all are.

Marion Roan rose early every day to bird songs. She let out the ducks, fed the chickens, milked the cows, separated the milk, made breakfast, had devotions and prayer, fixed the generator, weeded the garden, harvested the strawberries, checked on a neighbor, drove to town, entertained guests, wrote letters by the fire, loved her dog, and went to bed tired and grateful.

I rise each day to bird song. I read my bible app, feed the dog, take a walk, make the coffee, make breakfast, water the yard, pull a few weeds, answer emails, fill orders, paint a canvas, fix what’s broken, run to the store, check on a neighbor, clean up the studio, make dinner, wash the dishes, finish work in the studio, read or watch TV, write in my journal, fall into bed exhausted, and grateful.

I could use a spa day too, Aunt Marion. But a day with you back at the ranch would sure be fun too.

*My Aunt’s ranch is still standing, for now.

**Bonus points for knowing this reference

Dyana Hesson

Dyana was born in 1966 in the Gold Country of California. There she was always happiest outdoors. Her weekends were spent visiting the local nursery and working on the natural landscaping of her family’s home. When she was 12, her father gave her a camera. She began photographing all that was interesting to her; the trees, the flowers, and the natural landscapes.

After a short stay in Southern California (where she met and married her husband in 1985), she moved to Arizona. Although the climate and landscape varied drastically from that of California, the inspiration did not.

Dyana became interested in painting as a way to express things that she couldn’t through a lens alone. She chose oil as her medium because it possessed a fluid quality perfect for the subjects she was painting. She began to experiment with thin layers of carefully blended paint, and the results were luminous. She earned her degree in Art at Arizona State University in 1991 and graduated Magna Cum Laude. After a four year detour to southern Michigan, Dyana and her family returned to Arizona. She continues to live in Mesa with her husband Randy, daughter Sydney and Dog Boon.

Dyana is always in search of her next painting. She takes long hikes in the desert and mountains, and frequently visits botanical gardens across the country. She feels she has the most success when she has the luxury of bringing her subjects home. She then has more time to study them and combine them with other elements. Using only natural lighting in her paintings, timing and weather are always factors.

Dyana is most excited about using her art to glorify God by drawing attention to His creation. She feels that the relationships and opportunities to serve with her art have been the most valuable aspect of her career.

Dyana is a proud to be a Signature Member of American Women Artists, Founding member of the Phoenix Zoo Art Committee, and Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine Master of the Southwest, 2017.

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