© MyAarton
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your background.
My name is Aaron, I am 24 years old and I live in the Paris suburbs. Graduated in IT engineering and in IT for Finance, I am currently working in Finance for a French Insurance firm. In terms of hobbies (painting excluded), I am in love with travelling and discovering new foreign countries but also French and Parisian spots. I like to spend time with my family and friends but sometimes I also like to be confronted with myself, when I am at gym for instance (or when I am painting). I am quite demure and calm, but I know how to be “open” when it is necessary. For the rest, I let the next questions talk for me.
What inspired you to become an artist?
I think two things inspired me to become an artist. The first and the most important, is that my mother always raised me in an artistic environment, by pushing me to play guitar for instance or by talking to me about several artists she is crazy about (Rock’n’Roll singers, painters, writers…). The second thing is that when I was 10 years old, I met a graffiti artist in a skate park I used to go to for skating. I was interested by what he was writing on the wall but what was interesting to me the most was the tool he used to do it. He was using a spray paint. I had never seen a spray paint before this day and I was obsessed with this object to the point where I asked my parents for 3 or 4 euros to buy him a spray paint. I remember it was a sky blue one from Montana Colors. And this is where it all began!
What is your specialty?
I don’t have a specialty in painting, I am used to paint mainly with spraypaint, markers and acrylic paint with paintbrush. I like painting abstract art but also non abstract art like characters (cartoons, Jewish personalities), lettering, sneakers, tags…
How and where do you work?
At the beginning I was tagging in the street or in spots like skateparks, but all of this was not really legal and it was more for hobbies and adrenaline purpose than for real work. It is the most important part in my painter artist life. Then my parents gave me the chance to paint in an unused room of our house, I think it is the best gift ever! Today I am still painting in this room. I use this room for 2 main purposes. The first one is to do my painting “work” on canvas, to stock all my stuff like canvas, paintbrush, paints, etc. By the way I am quite new in the “canvas world”, I am painting on canvas since 2018. The second one is more a hobby, I mean I am painting on the walls of this room everything I have in mind. It could be characters, graffiti, abstract art. I am always trying to experiment new things on these walls.
What is the most indispensable item in your studio?
The most indispensable item in my studio is spray paint. Indeed, I always have several spray paints not used stocked and I never been without spray paint since I have this room. The fact is that even if I don’t have canvas, I still have the walls to express what I am feeling and the best way to do that is with spray paint; markers are good too but it depends on the type of wall. So yes, definitely a spray paint is my imost ndispensable item.
Where do you take your inspiration? Are you pursuing any themes?
I am taking my inspiration thanks to all things I face every day, but also I listen to my family and friends when they advise me to try this or that … I do not have specific themes, I am trying a new idea each time I am painting. It could be Judaic art but also cartoons, abstract art, etc.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a new project related to my website where I show my paintings. I am putting in place a kind of shop for people who want to buy t-shirts with my paintings on. The project is on its way and I am really proud of it because it is a new feeling to see my painting somewhere else than on a canvas.
What are your favourite items in your current collection?
My two favourite items in my collection are a Mario painting on an orange Hermès background and a tags painting which highlights life’s main drivers in my point of view. I am in love with the Mario one because the character mindset on this canvas reflects my mindset very well. I am also in love with the second one because to tag is what I prefer the most and it is thanks to this that everything began.
How do you know when a piece is finished?
I know when a piece is finished when I step back and I note that this is what I had in mind for this piece. Sometimes it is quite fast, sometimes it can take several weeks, even months to finish a piece and to reach my idea.
Do you do bespoke work?
Yes, I do. What I prefer is to paint for me and then if I can sell my art I do but I also paint directly for customers.
What was the first artwork you ever sold?
The first artworks I ever sold were custom caps for friends, it was maybe 8 or 9 years ago. I bought several blank caps and I tagged names on them. I had the idea when I travelled to New York and met a graffiti artist who sold the same kinds of caps in the street.
Which project have you enjoyed working on the most so far?
The project I enjoyed working on the most so far was a project for a social action foundation, by the way it was my first painting exhibition. I had to paint 6 or 7 canvas in a short period of time and for each sold canvas, half of the amount was given to this foundation. It was impressive and I was very happy to see all these people enjoying and gazing at my art.
What do you want to achieve with your work and what are your wishes for the future?
The thing I want to achieve is to reach many people with my art, not necessary to sell more paintings but mainly to share my ideas and my way of thinking. My biggest wish is to be able to live thanks to my art because it is my passion and I think that in life this is important to do something you like. Another wish would be to have more visibility in the “art world” to be able to share with more people my work.
Where can we find your work?
You can find my work on my Instagram: MyAarton or on my website: www.myaarton.com
© MyAarton
© MyAarton
