Aaron Caycedo-Kimura
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura is a visual artist and author. Born in Santa Rosa, CA, he relocated to the East Coast to earn a Master of Music at The Juilliard School in New York City, after which he shifted his focus to visual art, studying at the Silvermine School of Art in New Canaan, CT. He is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for his work. His paintings have appeared in gallery exhibitions and other venues throughout Connecticut, including the John Slade Ely House in New Haven, the Westport Arts Center, the Flinn Gallery in Greenwich, the Betty Barker Gallery in New Canaan, the Fisher Gallery in Avon, and City Lights Gallery in Bridgeport. He is currently represented by Chester Gallery in Chester, CT.
As a writer, he is the author of two poetry collections: Ubasute, which won the 2020 Slapering Hol Press Chapbook Competition, and the full-length collection Common Grace, forthcoming from Beacon Press in October 2022. He is also the author and illustrator of Text, Don’t Call: An Illustrated Guide to the Introverted Life (TarcherPerigee, 2017). His honors include a Robert Pinsky Global Fellowship in Poetry, a St. Botolph Club Foundation Emerging Artist Award in Literature, and nominations for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best New Poets anthologies. His poetry has appeared or is forthcoming in Beloit Poetry Journal, Poetry Daily, RHINO, Pirene’s Fountain, Iamb, upstreet, Verse Daily, DMQ Review, Poet Lore, The Night Heron Barks, and elsewhere. He currently serves as a member of the Slapering Hol Press Advisory Committee and as a reader for Beloit Poetry Journal. Aaron earned his MFA in creative writing from Boston University, and he lives in Connecticut with his wife, the poet and educator Luisa Caycedo-Kimura.
FEATURED ARTIST
Paint is my metaphor for life: both are really messy. At the same time, both can be beautiful. Making little excuse for what comes out of the tube, I build my images with exposed brush strokes, leaving behind evidence of my process. The “messes” I create (and bring to order) are meditations of light, atmosphere and harmony. I am more interested in and concerned with how my images are made than with the observed objects themselves.
Every year from December through January, I participate in an exhibit called the Postcard Show at the Chester Gallery in Chester, Connecticut. It’s a magical gathering of pieces that are 4” x 6” or smaller from about seventy local and regional artists. Over the years, I’ve painted still lifes, landscapes, and buildingscapes in oil for this show. In 2020, I wanted to do something a little different than the previous years. That May, I started following the Instagram account of a boutique in Tokyo called Blue & White (@blueandwhite_japan). The clothing and textile items in their inventory are all aizome products (indigo-dyed). They also collect old handmade tools and furnishings, which appeal to my rustic tastes. Inspired by these products, I have painted monochromatic still lifes for the Postcard Show for the past two years.
Aaron Caycedo-Kimura, Connecticut, 2022