ALTER-EGOS AND NEON APHRODITES PA I N T E R A A RON SH E PPA R D L IGH TS U P LOS A NGE L E S “Did you see the dog eating out that one girl? I’m worried you can’t see it
that happen.” Then right at the end of his MFA program, Ciff Benjamin of
right away, and someone will buy the picture and hang it in their kitchen,
Western Project, in town for another event, was brought to see Sheppard’s
and one morning they’ll be sitting there eating cereal and suddenly see it and
work, and was blown away. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, and soon inked
flip out!” Actually I had missed it the first time, but when Aaron Sheppard
the deal. “Aaron is continually smart and surprising. His intuition is spot on.
brought it up, I had another look and there it was. A bright pink bulldog and
Sexy fails as a description, and the work is deep. He is a seriously formidable
a raunchy maiden on her back, one leg hooked over a wall or window ledge
artist.” Aaron’s studio-mates Downtown are Dion Johnson, who also shows
that is both painted and built off the canvas in cardboard. Another bawdy
at Western Project by complete coincidence; and Jaime Scholnick, whose
goddess stands, straddling, her be-gartered right leg bisecting the space
solo show opens at CB1 Gallery in September, and who ultimately convinced
above the wall, negating how it reads in the other girl’s story. The whole
Sheppard to come here, to “the best place to make art, Downtown L A.”
surface is a mottled fleshy symphony of pinks and the eye cannot hold it all at once. No wonder I’d missed the dog the first time. Along the left side, a
Aaron speaks eloquently about constructing and projecting identity, religiosity,
diffuse cloud of neon light bleeds from behind the painting’s ragged edge.
sexuality, and a counter-factual historicism. His filter is the culture’s love of
This and a small number of other new works are on view at Sheppard’s
fame and/or pornography, mixed with the romance and perversion of classical
gallery, Western Project in Culver City, through May 5th.
allegorical portraiture. His lavish materiality finds a narrative function for neon light tubes, thick heavy paint, and extreme mannerism in his mostly
Sheppard came to LA from his native Nebraska via DC, NYC, and Las Vegas,
nude figures, forcing people to deal with the inconvenient object and not
enjoying close-up views of cement factories in at least three of those. “If I
just the idea of it. “After about ten years, you have to change the bulb!” May
were a musician like I’ve secretly always wanted to be, I’d live in Venice.” He
18th he shows a long-distance collaborative work, having to do with bio- and
actually did have a band in NYC named Peter & the Pan-Sexuals. “My drag
geo-manipulation at Jaus in Santa Monica. This intriguing cross-platform
name was Barbie Q and I was enjoying NYC, taping my junk into panties and
project is curated by the same person that introduced Aaron to Jaime some
heading to work every night, but after 8 years there, I wanted to go to grad
ten years ago. There’s a really good story about a strip club in Brooklyn, but
school. I wanted three years to just paint, and James Pink at UNLV made
let’s leave some mysteries for him to paint about. STORY // SHANA NYS DAMBROT PHOTO // DANTE COLOMBATTI
Visit aaronsheppard.net, western-project.com, and jausart.com, for more information, images, and upcoming shows.