Artist: Aaron Grayum

Artist: Aaron Grayum

Nashville-based artist Aaron Grayum received his BFA from Middle Tennessee State University. His work has been published in The New England Review, Bartleby Snopes, Art Galleries & Artists of the South, Voyage Atlanta, and The Saturday Evening Post, as well as featured on the television show Nashville. Aaron was a 2018 participant in the Nashville Arts and Business Council’s PERISCOPE Artist Entrepreneur Training cohort, and won first place in the Periscope Pitch competition at Oz Arts Nashville. He lives and works with his wife and son just outside Nashville, Tennessee.

I make art for the inner child. I try to connect to people who feel unseen, in a way that shows them they matter and are not alone. Using acrylic on canvas, I create images inspired by drawings I made when I was a kid – like birds, umbrellas, and jelly bean trees – speaking a language familiar to both children and adults. Words and poetry are integral to much of my work, allowing me to explore the tension between the playful innocence of childhood and the vulnerable truths of a grown-up world that doesn’t always understand.