Originally from Mansfield, Ohio, Aaron Troyer earned a BFA in painting from The Ohio State University in 2006. In his earlier years, Troyer was creating abstract paintings using watercolor, ink wash and gouache on paper, but recently transitioned to larger representational paintings on canvas. His most recent body of work features primarily natural elements. Flowers are often presented as symbols of natural beauty, or in many cases, as benign decorations meant to “tie the room together”. Troyer’s work challenges this notion by placing an emotional weight onto the plants that center them as the protagonist in a fantastical conflict with both natural and unnatural forces. Troyer poses that by pushing ourselves to assign human emotions to plants, we can better understand the devastating toll that we often unknowingly inflict onto the natural world. He has most recently displayed his paintings at Tin Whistle Gallery (Austin, TX), Telefonica (Tijuana, Mexico), Teros Gallery (San Diego, CA), 934 Gallery and No Place Gallery (both in Columbus, OH). In addition, he works as an educator and occasionally records and performs music with friends. Aaron currently lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife and daughter.