Zach Raley as featured in….
10 Emerging Artists 2025
Art New England’s Annual Highlight of Ten Exceptional Emerging Voices
Zach Raley, Wonder (the work is inspired by the artist’s time spent in Europe, and uses epoxy resin techniques), 2024, acrylic paint, epoxy resin, gloss varnish, 48 x 36″. Courtesy of the artist.
Zach Raley
Needham, MA
raleyart.com
@zachraley_art
Being a part of the Newport Artists Collective, one is surrounded by extraordinary talent on any given day. Walking into the artist salon at the Brenton Hotel on the evening of Zach Raley’s salon, I instantly knew we were in the presence of a young artist who’s on his way to the top of the art world. At seventeen years old, Zach has mastered complex layering of color and texture into his pieces. Whether an inanimate object or a moody street scape that draws you in for a closer look, Zach’s work captivates the viewer, through size, scale, impeccable technique and attention to detail and emotion. — Tyler Martin, board member, Newport Artists Collective & PR director, CUSP Gallery & Lifestyle.”
To Zach Raley, making art is synonymous with eating, sleeping, and breathing. “When I think of art in relationship to myself… It’s a compulsory thing,” Raley says. “It’s not something I like to do—it is part of me.”
As a high school student, Raley’s emergence into the world of art happened at an early age. Raley picked up his first paintbrush in the fifth grade for a class assignment. “I hated everything I made. I was crying. That was the start of the whole thing,” he explains…………
ART NEWPORT 2025
Art Newport 2025 was the first of many Newport Artists Collective events, and was a huge success. The show featured 35 Juried artists from far and wide, all with incredible work. Zach’s work was selected, and his work hung for the three day show (a photo of him to the left in the orange glasses) The show was a huge success, and Zach is already looking forward to next years Art Newport.
CUSP GALLERY
CUSP Gallery, named after artist and owner Curtis Speer's initials, embodies the essence of an "emerging" artist prepared for a transformative journey. The gallery's core mission revolves around providing emerging artists with a platform to exhibit their work and take bold creative strides.
(Two of Zach’s paintings in the windows of old CUSP and three more on the walls below)
RALEY AT THE SALON
The Big Break for Zach was his salon serries show in September of 2024. The show was a Thursday evening event, at the Brenton hotel, where Curtis Speer introduced Zach’s work to the Newport Art Scene. The rest is history from that moment on. Here are some photos from Zach’s Very First Show.
The Gold Medal
In the 2025 Scholastics awards, Raley’s work Burn (below) won a national gold medal though Scholastics art and Writing Awards. The Gold medal is the highest award that scholastics can award a single work, and puts Raley’s painting in the top 1 percent of all scholastic applicants across the nation.
The RIT Art and Design Awards 2025
The RIT Art and Design Award recognizes outstanding high school juniors who demonstrate exceptional creativity, artistic talent, and academic achievement (minimum 3.75 GPA). Selected students receive a certificate of recognition and, if they apply and are accepted to RIT, may qualify for a merit scholarship of up to $24,000 per year. This award highlights students with strong portfolios and a passion for visual arts, encouraging their continued growth in art and design.
