Aaron Wilkerson
Aaron Wilkerson did not grow up in a household that placed particular emphasis on literature or visual art, though music was valued and appreciated. Creativity was not framed as a career path, but it was present in quieter ways. One early memory stands out vividly: an episode of Spielberg’s Amazing Stories in which an air force gunner saves his life by drawing part of an airplane. The scene was absurd and fantastical, yet it left a deep impression. When Wilkerson later began creating his own work, it felt instinctively right, as though it was simply what he was meant to be doing. That sense has never left him.
He earned a BFA from York University, where he developed a strong conceptual framework for thinking about art. After graduation, he explored 3D animation and illustration, expanding his understanding of form and digital environments. While formal education shaped how he thinks about art, he believes technical skill is earned through sustained effort. Craft, for him, is something built through repetition and persistence rather than inherited or easily acquired.
Experimentation defines Wilkerson’s creative journey. Over the years, he has studied printmaking, sculpture, video art, sound art, digital illustration, and scale modeling. In recent years, his focus has shifted toward working with elemental materials—old paper, burlap, wood, dead plants, and found objects. His practice spans from highly realistic 3D environments, including work created for series such as Heroes Reborn and Reacher, to a reemerging fine art practice rooted in abstraction and collage. His compositions often move toward Abstract Expressionism while maintaining a tactile, constructed quality.
Working at the Art Gallery of Ontario has given him sustained exposure to art history and time for reflection. He draws inspiration from Victorian landscape painting, early modernist printmaking, typography, Chinese illustration, Abstract Expressionism, and Arte Povera. These influences inform both his visual language and his philosophy. He is particularly interested in the relationship between material and meaning, and in maintaining control over whatever medium he engages. In a time when almost any material can become art, he sees craftsmanship as the most essential offering an artist can bring.
Most of Wilkerson’s work is inspired by real or imagined places. Gardens and landscapes are recurring points of reference. His painting Web, for example, emerged from time spent working in his home garden. The piece explores the ambiguity between living and dead plants, weeds and flowers, sun and shadow, and the intricate material networks that connect natural forms. Gardening, for him, is a parallel to art-making: both involve cultivation, attention, and negotiation with growth and decay.
In the past, Wilkerson’s work centered largely on mood and aesthetics. In recent years, his themes have shifted toward a deeper engagement with history and the relationship between manual labor and the natural environment. He is interested in how objects, landscapes, and gestures carry traces of time. His message is understated but clear: things only fade away if we allow them to.
One particularly meaningful project was 1994, a piece in which he sewed patches into burlap despite having no prior experience with sewing. The challenge of learning an unfamiliar craft reinforced his belief in process and vulnerability. For Wilkerson, growth often comes from entering spaces of discomfort and uncertainty.
He measures success not by recognition alone, but by influence. Inspiring other artists holds more value than external validation. He believes artists must think beyond trends and ask which aspects of their experience might still resonate decades from now. Relevance, for him, is measured in longevity rather than immediacy.
Balancing creative life with other responsibilities has required adjustment. He no longer creates daily and finds that stepping away from art—even into the monotony of work—can restore perspective and depth. Travel and reading remain essential sources of renewal. Experience, both dull and extraordinary, becomes material.
His advice to emerging artists is direct: make mistakes early, develop craft, ignore trends, and stay grounded in the physical world rather than the digital echo chamber. Creative work should be rooted in lived experience.
Looking ahead, Wilkerson continues to work on multiple projects simultaneously. Collaborations remain important; he has contributed to book covers, concept art, fashion design, and album artwork, and plans to pursue further interdisciplinary partnerships. His current focus is simply forward motion—refining ideas, building new pieces, and working toward what he believes will be his strongest work yet.
