Before opening The Gallery On Glassell in 1998, I wrote about real estate, architecture and design for business newspapers in Southern California. Along the way, I developed a passion for art.

Our tagline is “Art of California and The West." I thought that kind of narrowed down the genre. But with each passing month, I discovered the diversity and variety of the art forms that have evolved in this region.

Central to the dialogue and palette of art and culture in California and The West is the region’s history as part of New Spain. In the centuries since it was settled, California has evolved as  one of the best palettes of art and lifestyle in the world. Paintings, food, literature, film and music are important art forms that touch our lives daily.

Every time I watch one of the Zorro films with Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta Jones, it’s like watching a great painting come to life. When I hear a great musician such as Christopher Parkening or Gove play acoustical guitar, I feel that same joy as I do listening to Carlos Santana play Black Magic Woman.

The Americas magically serve as palettes for the human imagination. As we move through our twelfth year at The Gallery On Glassell, we invite you to join us in cele-brating the art forms that are the pigments on our palette for living. Our dialogue will continue at the beginning of each month here at www.galleryonglassell.com.

Jim Hathcock