New local art gallery helps give artists a second chance at their passion

One local artist opened a new art gallery in Yuma to help other local artists have a home for their artwork.

Palomino Art Gallery and Education is celebrating their grand opening on Saturday, January 27 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

They are located at 1420 S. Avenue B.

The founder of the gallery, Martha Palomino shares her goals for this gallery.

“This is a place for artists to flourish and that’s my goal that artists come here and feel comfortable and leave confident and flourished,” Palomino told News 11.

Palomino started teaching classes from a Kitchen she was borrowing at the Spiritual Center.

After being there for a while, her classes started filling up. She knew she needed a bigger space.

“I remember a lot of people told me you can’t start a business in the summer in Yuma it’s never going to happen,” she said.

But, she proved everyone wrong when she found her perfect place.

“When I walked in it was empty and I knew … I envisioned what I wanted it to look like within seconds,” she said.

Today, Palomino supports many local artists in the community to follow their dreams no matter what people say. From beginners to expert artists, she is a light to all of her students. She even teaches 7-year-old Sebastian Lopez how to draw. He told News 11 that he wishes to be an artist when he grows up.

“My mother is the reason I am here, she was very supportive all my life and everybody thought I was crazy and said stop dreaming so high, let it go, you’re an artist and artists don’t make money, they don’t make a living, that’s not a career to go down and she supported me always,” Palomino said.

Palomino was a fashion designer in Los Angeles for over 12 years. After the tragic death of her father due to a car accident, she moved to Yuma to be with her mother and left art, friends and everything else behind. Palomino never planned on staying in Yuma long.

“I knew that after my dad’s passing I was no longer going to paint, I didn’t want to, I don’t have it in me, and when I moved here, local artists started feeding me with the passion again and waking me up and giving me a second chance,” she said. ” I don’t consider this my gallery, it’s our gallery,” she added.

One of Palomino’s art students, Debe Nidiffer shared her experience with Palomino.

“I was the one who came in and said I cannot draw a stick figure, please help me because I really wanted to learn and make my art more than what I could’ve ever thought it could be,” she said.

When asked how art makes her feel she said, “It’s freeing, it’s restful, it’s a stress reliever and it opens up your mind.” “You’ll find out just within the first class that you can draw more than a stick figure,” she added.

The Palomino Art Gallery’s grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony is on Saturday, January 27.There will be wine and horderves served, live entertainment and artists selling their work.

The art gallery also sells locally made jewelry and is always looking for other local artists to showcase their work in the gallery. There will be more information on ways to get involved as an artist and some of the art classes Palomino will be offering this year.