By Brooke Curley
THATCHER – With artworks ranging from the beginning of his art education career to the present, Eastern Arizona College (EAC) art professor, Kenny Rhodes, will retire with a showcase bang.
Featuring artwork from his 30 years in his art education career, EAC bids Rhodes farewell with a show and reception. The show, A Retrospect of 30 years—The Art of Kenny Rhodes, will be available for public viewing throughout the entire month of March and is located in the lobby of the EAC Activities Center. The retrospect is a compilation of 37 works by Rhodes.
On Monday, the college held a reception honoring Rhodes’ work and career.
Rhodes said his style of art has evolved over the years into different mediums.
“I think it’s become a little bit more traditional,” he said. “I started out more as an illustrator. That was more my background (in) illustration and graphic design. And then I went more toward traditional art eventually, and so I went from a lot of airbrush painting and watercolor to currently more oil painting.”
Rhodes said one thing he enjoyed most working at EAC was being given the chance to meet so many different students from all over the world.
“I enjoyed the students,” he said. “It’s been fun to get such a broad array of backgrounds and personal interests from the students they have. On average, I have 150 students a semester. I’ve had people from all over the world. I have had people from Greece, Serbia, Croatia, as well as the kids here from the U.S. It’s been quite a cultural enriching experience.”
Rhodes told Gila Valley Central that he draws his artistic inspiration from his travels.
“I actually do a lot of paintings now based on my traveling because I travel a lot,” he said. “And I try to experience some of the cultural flares of the areas that I do paintings based on some of those sorts of things. It’s a lot of fun.”
Rhodes plans to travel even more abundantly after his retirement at he end of the semester. Since his wife is from Hawaii, he said he will be spending a good amount of time there in the near future. He also plans to visit Spain and Thailand.
Brooke Curley Photo/Gila Valley Central: Rhodes’ artwork will be on display for the entire month of March and spans his entire 30-year teaching career.
