Current Exhibitions

The Painted Desert: A Century of Land and Light

Artists’ Reception Thursday, March 7th 4 - 6 pm

Featuring Historic Artists: Franz Bischoff, Conrad Buff, John Wesley, Clyde Forsythe, Paul Grimm, Sam Hyde Harris, John Hilton, Thomas Hunt, Fernand Lungren, Frederick Grayson Sayre, George Sherriff, Fredrick Carl Smith, James Swinnerton, and Harry B. Wagoner, Harold Buck Weaver, and Fredrick Wright

Featuring Contemporary Artists: Robert Arnett, Andy Dickson, Whitney Gardner, Mark Kerckhoff, Elaine Mathews, Eric Merrell, and Steven Wybenga.

Curated by: Steven Biller

 

The Painted Desert: A Century of Land and Light puts a century of
Desert Landscape Painting on Display at College of the Desert

The show runs March 5–April 5 at the college’s Marks Art Center 
with an opening reception scheduled for March 7 from 4 to 7 p.m.

 

PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA — The Marks Art Center at College of the Desert is proud to announce the opening of The Painted Desert, a month-long exhibition opening March 5 that celebrates more than 100 years of Southern California desert landscape painting. The opening reception is planned for March 7 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Organized by guest curator Steven Biller, The Painted Desert presents a visual story featuring a who’s who of historic and contemporary artists committed to depicting the landscapes of the Coachella Valley, Salton Sea, and Mojave Desert in their best light and from the most advantageous vantage points. 

 

Among the historic works are paintings by Franz Bischoff, Conrad Buff, Clyde Forsythe, Paul Grimm, Sam Hyde Harris, John Hilton, Fernand Lungren, Carl Sammons, Frederick Grayson Sayre, James Swinnerton, and Harry Wagoner. The historic paintings are on loan from George Stern Fine Art and private collectors from the Coachella Valley.

 

The contemporary galleries feature new landscape paintings by Robert Arnett, Andy Dickson, Whitney Gardner, Mark Kerckhoff, Elaine Mathews, Eric Merrill, and Steven Wybenga.

 

“These artists found their voice in the extreme desert landscape and dedicated themselves to capturing its many moods and moments,” says Biller, the longtime editorial director and art writer of Palm Springs Life magazine who frequently lectures on California art. “They tuned their palettes to the desert’s sandy washes, colorful mountains, and otherworldly plant life and rock formations. The Painted Desert celebrates a century-old tradition that remains alive and well today.”

 

The exhibition has great educational value, particularly to students of California and art history and studio art. It also represents an opportunity for the community to see a rare installation of historic and contemporary paintings depicting the landscape in which we live.

Some contemporary artists in The Painted Desert will also present demonstrations and workshops for studio art students at College of the Desert.

 

Exhibition Additional Programming 

Lecture with Jean Stern Discussing the different artistic visions of the works presented in the show.
Tuesday, March 19th at 3:30PM Walter N. Marks Center for the Arts
 
Andy Dickson Artist Lecture Monday March 11th 12:30 Art 106
Andy Dickson Painting Demonstration Monday March 11th 2:00 P.M. Meet in the Visual Art Building Foyer