Desert A. Xel

Artist Bio

Desert “Dez” Xel grew up in Kansas before heading to New England for college. They have since lived in Arizona, New Mexico, and back to Kansas while traveling around the central and southwestern US.

A versatile artist, Dez won their first award for writing in a 3rd grade poetry contest and won other kudos for writing, photography, and speech throughout elementary and high school.

While studying folklore and mythology in college, Dez developed their ability to craft words by taking essay courses and writing articles for student magazines. They also continued to write fiction in private. Eventually they found work as a ghost writer and editor for a number of travel and industry blogs before stepping out to freelance.

Aside from a few art classes in school and through local art stores, Dez is self-taught in visual arts, experimenting with media, forms, and colors from an intuitive sense of “what works.” While most of their art is about balance and structure, in 2018 they began to explore adding political elements to some of their visual work and in 2019 produced their first zines.

As one half of the Artistic Nomads, Dez can be found traveling to Zine and art events around the country from their current home base in Kansas.

Contact the Artist

To purchase any of the displayed art or commission a new piece, contact Dez directly

creator@dezxel.com