After missing a few of Arcadia Contemporary‘s gallery openings, I was very excited to finally have a weekend free and attend master artist, Aron Wiesenfeld‘s solo show, titled Natural Selection. The Gallery Opening was held on Saturday evening, May 11 from 6-9 PM at Arcadia Contemporary.

Here is a little background about the artist: Aron was born in 1972. He attended Cooper Union School of Art in New York and Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. His work has appeared in publications such as Juxtapoz, Hi-Fructose, Art In America, and The Huffington Post. He has also exhibited in a number of museum shows, including The Long Beach Museum of Art, Bakersfield Museum of Art, and The Museum Casa Dell’Architettura in Italy.

What allures me to Aron’s work is his portrayal of solitude, much like the famous Edward Hopper. I also admire his paintings’ sense of mystery and ominous tone.  The figures in his paintings seem to be caught somewhere between dream and reality. Aron’s use of light and shadow is impeccable; the mood conveyed from this mastery is lovely to see up close. I was lucky enough to introduce myself and inquire about his charcoal tools. His drawings have such a softness that I thought he might use loose charcoal, but he instead uses soft vine charcoal sticks and charcoal pencils. I highly recommend stopping by to see this exhibit! Here are some of my favorites and some closeups from the show:

The artist!

“Neighbor” Charcoal on paper

Detail of “Adaptation”, oil on canvas

Detail of “Summit”, oil on panel

Detail of “Hacker”, oil on panel

“The Bridge”, oil on canvas

Detail of “The Bridge”

“Shell”, oil on panel

Detail of “Shell”

“Playground”, oil on panel

“A Late Arrival”, oil on panel

Detail of “Fall”, oil on panel

“The Game”, charcoal on paper

“The Pit”, oil on panel

Missed the gallery opening? No worries! The show runs through May 26, 2019.
Here is the link to the complete online catalog.