Brustelo Beach

Oil on canvas

78 x 48 in (198 x 122 cm)

About The Artwork

This abstract figurative painting features the artist in a nude form from the back and front in vibrant reds and pinks, outlined in expressive green lines. It balances sketch-like and voluminous areas against a muted beige background, conveying intimacy and energy, while blending elements of expressionism and fauvism.

Returning to his Joshua Tree studio after Grandma’s funeral, artist Aaron Sheppard resolved to paint a portrait of them together. But he heard her voice urging, “Paint something that brings you joy, Aaron. Don’t paint a dull portrait of us together right now. You need a break. Enjoy this time. Be free!” Inspired, he stripped down, donned small women’s panties, and used a mirror for a bold self-portrait inspired by how he fantasizes presenting himself on The Strand. Meanwhile, his other resin project dried outside. The next day, “Brustelo Beach” was complete, but he found that his other piece had trapped a kangaroo rat. Researching its symbolism, Aaron discovered that it represents closure, transition, introspection, and a fresh start.

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About the Artist

Aaron Sheppard lives and works in Joshua Tree, California. His work speaks eloquently about constructing and projecting identity, religiosity, sexuality, and counterfactual historicism. Moreover, Sheppard’s art blends fame, pornography, and classical allegorical portraiture with cultural filters. Overall, his lavish materiality finds a narrative function for neon light tubes, thick heavy paint, and extreme mannerism in his mostly nude figures, forcing people to deal with the inconvenient object and not just the idea of it.