Aaron Baldwin

Aaron Baldwin is a Southern California based painter whose work focuses on the relationships between earthly bodies and fantastical forces. Taking inspiration from nature, astrology, and the human experience, Aaron explores the inner workings of ourselves through the lens of the infinite cosmos utilizing a balance of contemporary illustration and classical techniques.

“The Cosmos” is the first painting in a series depicting queer individuals and their relationship to their identity. Each painting began with an interview regarding my subject’s queer experiences and a photoshoot, in which I asked them to come dressed however they are most comfortable in their own bodies. My subject depicted here is an old friend of mine who I reconnected with for this painting. During our interview, they expressed to me: “In my mind, I am a genderless being. In the mind of society, the only way to be a genderless being is to be an alien.” In my execution of their portrait, I was drawn to highlighting their unconventional features. The shaven eyebrows, piercings, and tattoos are tools they use to morph the human aspects of expression, conscious acts of pushing and pulling the body to compliment their personal identity. Parts of them begin to blend into the galaxy surrounding them, combining the human form with cosmic bodies to become one in the same.