East of Cleveland, a local artist is carving out space for introspective, multidimensional work — art layered with color, symbolism and vulnerability.
Aaron D. Williams, artist and founder of artist collective Young Cleveland Renaissance, also known as Aawful Aaron, found his way into art early. He picked up a pencil, took to drawing very naturally and never put it down. Today, Williams blends colored pencil, marker and paint to create pieces that reflect on identity, personal growth and city culture.
“I was more concerned with making work that had the natural rhythm that I feel is so inherent in Cleveland’s culture,” Williams, 32, says. “Also, interrogating American culture through my lens of ‘I have to live through these systems and create.’”…