Gallery • 6 Photos

Zach JF Boyles

College of the Desert reopens the Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts with a special exhibition, Akin: Creations Create Community. Curator, Debra Ann Mumm, also founder and CEO of CREATE Center for the Arts, fills the space with local artists, along with COD Alumni. This exhibition commemorates community and art in education.  

The COD Alumni Association Gallery presents work by Zach JF Boyles, artist and art educator at CREATE in Palm Desert. Boyles pulls inspiration from the desert landscape, working on a series of paintings for the past 7 years, primarily focusing on cacti as the subject. The artist displays handmade light-box paintings using techniques involving LED lighting and screen printing. Boyles encapsulates the desert sunset within the frame, “I’ve always liked when the sun, especially in the summer, goes behind the mountain range, because you finally get relief from the oppressive heat,” as he describes the gloaming light.   

Also in the same gallery, viewers can also see Aaron Fox’s artwork. Fox’s process consists of wood frames, layering wood glue and acrylic then sanding off. The artist expresses how he paints through emotion presenting itself in the shapes and flow of his paintings. Constantly evolving, Fox describes as he evolves, his art does too 

In The Barbara and Bob Leberman Gallery, Tess L. Cranford states painting is a form of her expressivity, harmonizing with her poetry. Cranford enjoys art allowing people to think and question. She speaks conceptually on portals, as seen in Red Lady, symbolizing growing from the past.  

The exhibit contains more work by artists from diverse backgrounds and mediums bringing them together to present their passions, stories, and knowledge. The Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts is open Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. An artist talk with Mumm will take place on Oct. 10 from 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m.