Tucson and Baja Arizona have many fine art galleries. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Diana Madaras at her Madaras Gallery.

No artist represents Tucson and Southern Arizona more than Diana. I cannot look at a Madaras painting and not be happy. I know her art has that effect on most people. And her’s is not only art for your walls. We have a cutting board with a bright, light-hearted painting of margarita glasses and a box of note cards with 6 of her signature desert scenes.

So popular is Diana’s art that she has two galleries. One on Broadway just east of Downtown Tucson and another in Gallery Row at Skyline & Campbell.

For more information, please visit the Madaras Gallery Website.

I have not visited all of the galleries in Tucson or the rest of Baja Arizona. But, now that I’m in the visitor guide business, I will get to most of them over the next 12 months.

I have other favorites. The Etherton Gallery downtown for one. The Etherton changes exhibitions every two months or so, thus there is always an excuse to go back. It is one of the oldest art galleries in Tucson, established in 1981.

Terry Etherton specializes in seriously fine photographic art, some vintage, some contemporary, such as the one pictured here. It doesn’t look like anything special in this small thumbnail, but I first saw it as a very large framed print and I could hardly take my eye off of it, so stunning were the eyes of the subject. The effect was created by a unique process that I have not seen anywhere else. Palma is a genius.

My father, Bill Gressinger, then age 91 and an artist in his own right, went with us last Thanksgiving (2010) and declared the Etherton one of the finest galleries he has ever experienced. In a lifetime that spans almost a century, Dad has seen a lot of art galleries. High praise indeed.

Also, there are several really good art galleries in Tubac. So I will be expanding this section considerably as time goes on.