Today we’d like to introduce you to Aaron Shaw.
Hi Aaron, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers?
My story isn’t the usual one. I did not find my passion in life early in painting. Before I started painting, I had only taken two art classes, one in junior high and one in high school. I’m completely self-taught and my style can be described as a negative abstract type of art. This is where the colors, shading, etc. are inverted. I really started painting when I was married as an escape. I didn’t paint a lot until during and after my divorced as a way to cope. Through a friend, I started to become involved with a non-profit organization in Columbia, SC called COR (Columbia Opportunity Resource). That was really the first time that individuals wanted my artwork for purchase. It was an event called Time for Art. It’s where you buy art by bidding. You volunteer hours to bid on a painting. Since that time, I’ve turned my passion into a business. I was able to complete my first mural in 2019, and I’ve had multiple art showings. I donate artwork to local non-profits and organizations like the Columbia Museum of Art for the yearly contemporary gala. I have several paintings that Aloft Columbia, SC has on permanent display. I’ve built a good repeat clientele. And I still paint in the living room of my apartment, I’m not where I wish to be yet, but success is relative. Success, to me, equates to being able to sell a few paintings a month. I realize that I’ll never be “rich and successful” as an artist. I’m a strong believer that good art always comes from pain. That’s why most of my work has a beautiful sadness to it. I paint what I know and what I feel. That feeling carries over to my buyer, who are hopefully able to see that beauty.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been a smooth road. I have had multiple events whereby not a single person purchased any artwork.
I went through places mentally where I wanted to give up and quit painting. Where not a single person buys any artwork at multiple events. After the last show people that have never supported me or purchased, any artwork came out in droves to support me. I didn’t answer any of them on social media. They only supported me after a success that I created. I’ve also found that friends and family members really haven’t supported me along my journey, and others have. I’ve found that if it doesn’t affect some people, they are not happy for you in any form. There’s also the mental aspect of my work that I have found I don’t paint well when I’m happy. Now it’s not stating that I’m depressed. It’s a mental aspect of being able to relieve pain and heartache in order to make a good painting. It can be mentally and physically exhausting. I don’t think great art of any type comes from happiness.
Taking on the other side I’ve had events where I sold half of my work in one night. I completed my first mural in 2019. I have repeat clients. My work has brought people joy and happiness.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I don’t specialize in any one area. I paint everything from the abstract to nudes, faces, animals, and landscapes. I would say the two main things that I’m known for are my nude paintings and my crab/abstract sea life. I would say that I’m most proud of a painting that I did in honor of my friend Marie before she passed away from cancer. I was able to get her approval for it, and I titled it Marie’s Dance. She was massively involved in the non-profit/charity world of Columbia. The individual that won the painting bid is volunteering hours to help out several non-profit organizations. It was a way to keep her memory and spirit alive. The other painting that I’m most proud of is one I did of my grandparents. They were married in Italy at the height of WWII. They then did not see each other for almost two years. My pain was of my grandfather in uniform with my grandmother. It was taken from a black and white photo that was their wedding photo. The painting hung in this bed room until both of their deaths. They told me that it was one of their most treasured items, and they absolutely loved it. Those are the two that I’m most proud of due to the joy and happiness they brought to my friends and family.
I’d say what sets me apart from other artists is my style. I paint in a reverse/negative style. I’ve had professional artists tell me that they cannot paint how I paint. I like to add colors that are not normally used for shading and texture. I gesso all my paintings black. I do this before painting, I use a lot of metallic colors so that the image that I’m painting stands out and captures your singular focus. I use primarily acrylic paint with a paint pen to add the detail that I wish to see come alive for that specific painting.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I was diagnosed at an early age with a severe learning disability. I was also diagnosed with high-functioning anxiety/depression. It runs in my family. I think these things allow me to see the world in a different way. I was never meant to succeed. In junior high/ high school I had teachers tell me that I would never go to college. I graduated from Clemson University. My biological father was an abusive, emotionally and physically drunk individual. At an early age, I was told by him that I was worthless, an idiot, a mistake and that nothing I did was ever good enough. These things have pushed me. They have pushed me, so I will prove them all wrong. You see, I have succeeded and I have failed miserably. These disorders that I have, my past, and close friends that do believe and support me have taught me that I can never give up even when I am determined to stop painting.
All of my artwork can be found for purchase on my Instagram page Shaw_Signature_Collections. Please send me an email @ ShawSignatureCollections@gmail.com, or DM for the painting or inquiry regarding the purchase of artwork, or nonprofit events. Even if you don’t have Instagram, you can view my profile/ page since it’s public. I’m also available for murals and commissioned paintings.
Contact Info:
- Email: Shawsignaturecollections@gmail.com
- Instagram: Shaw_Signature_Collections
- Facebook: Http://www.Facebook.com/Aaron.Shaw969
- Twitter: @shaw_collection
