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Essential West Magazine
Exploring Art, Literature, History, Museums, Lifestyle, and Cultures of the West
It amazes me that four letters - W-E-S-T - have the ability to evoke an instantaneous emotional image. Simply the act of reading these four letters has caused you to form a narrative of your west.
Can the West be distilled to its essence - a simple direction or region? I believe not; it is a deeper dive of consciousness. How America sees itself and the world defines us. Diverse cultures, strong individualism, open spaces, and raw natural beauty marinated in a roughshod history have formed this region’s unique milieu.
Our online magazine’s primary focus is to feature relevant topics in art, literature, history, museums, lifestyle, and culture; lofty goals for any publication. No single magazine can be the beckon of all things western; it is a diverse, evolving paradigm that cannot be pigeonholed. As the publisher, I hope to be the buffalo that grazes the wide expanse of western sensibility and relay to you a glimpse of how I perceive our Essential West.
- Mark Sublette
Featured Article
Indigenous Fire Practices Explored Through Art in Exhibition on View in Los Angeles
The deadly Eaton wildfire began on January 7, 2025, raging uncontrollably to consume chunks of Pasadena and Altadena. As it was dying out, “Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art” was opening – January 22 – at the Fowler Museum at UCLA 25 miles west. The exhibition offering insights into Indigenous fire stewardship, ecological resilience, and climate...
Dean Mitchell is Featured Artist of Huntsville Museum 2015 Gala
The Huntsville Museum of Art Proudly Announces Dean Mitchell 24th Annual Gala Featured Artist Published online courtesy Huntsville Museum of Art, August 2014 “Mr. Mitchell’s works are subtly tuned character studies with an eye toward abstract form and charismatic light.” —Michael Kimmelman, The New York Times Dean L. Mitchell was born 1957, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and reared in Quincy, Florida.He is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art & Design in Columbus, Ohio.Mitchell is well known for his figurative works, landscapes and still lifes. In addition to water- colors, he is accomplished in other mediums, including egg temperas, oils...
Ed Mell, Southwest Art
Ed Mell: Exploring the Southwest Through New Eyes By Lynn Pyne Davis ; reprinted courtesy of Southwest Art magazine Ed Mell, Butte, Pastel, 7" x 10" In an Ed Mell painting, cotton ball clouds and rocky mountains often undergo a metamorphosis, becoming simplified forms with knife-sharp edges. A rose or cactus bloom may take on a colossal scale, with crystalline petals resembling shards of stained glass. Pink buttes may be rendered as deep coral rose, and blue-gray rain may appear as blue sapphires. By deviating from reality, Mell succeeds in creating a feeling that is closer to the actual experience of witnessing nature...
Navajo Saddle Blankets: Canyon Road Arts, Vol. 5
LEARN ABOUT THIS UNUSUAL FORM OF NAVAJO WEAVING Navajo Single Saddle Blanket c. 1915, 25.5″ x 35″ Saddle blankets occupy a curious niche in the history of Navajo weaving. They are the only type of textile that were simultaneously popular among Anglos, Hispanics and the Navajo themselves. Consequently saddle blankets have an aesthetic and technical history very different from that of the ubiquitous Navajo rug. Navajo Double Saddle Blanketc. 1900 54″ x 31″ A BRIEF HISTORY OF NAVAJO WEAVING The Navajo learned weaving from their Pueblo neighbors about the same time they acquired horses and churro sheep from Spanish...
Ray Roberts: Canyon Road Arts Vol.1
PLEIN AIR IMPRESSIONISTIC MASTERPIECES FROM A CALIFORNIA NATIVE SON Southwest Art once described Ray Roberts as a native son of California. This may be the most fitting description of Ray, both his life and his art have always gravitated toward California. He was born and raised along the coast of Southern California. His love for drawing as a child grew into a passion for art, and he continued his formal studies acquiring a degree at the Arts Center Design College in Pasadena. Ray Roberts, San Juan Creek,Oil on canvas 30″ x 40″ After his graduation, Ray began work as a freelance...