Thiel College’s Weyers-Sampson Gallery hosting solo exhibition by painter Aaron Pickens

GREENVILLE, Pa.-- Thiel College’s Weyers-Sampson Gallery will present “Split P,” a solo exhibition of paintings by Indiana-based artist Aaron Pickens, M.F.A., from Sept. 10 through Nov. 21, 2025. A closing reception and gallery talk will be held Friday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m.

Pickens’ show brings together two bodies of work: playful yet pointed toy tableaux and responsive, single-session plein-air paintings. “Toys have been central to my visual vocabulary as a painter—they can be transformed to comment on a wide range of issues using both metaphor and allegory,” Pickens said. A recent self-reflective sub-series, Judgment Cray, uses self-deprecating humor and the familiar imagery of toys, primary colors and crayons to explore how constant evaluation can trigger swings between confidence and self-doubt. In contrast, his plein-air practice favors alla prima urgency—paintings completed in one sitting that capture specific places, evolving light and the artist’s perception in the moment.

Pickens was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio, attended Toledo School for the Arts (2001–07), earned a BFA in Digital Arts from Bowling Green State University (2011), and an M.F.A. in painting from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania (2015). He is an Associate Professor of Fine Arts and New Media at Indiana University Kokomo, where he resides. After graduate school, Pickens worked as a digital technical assistant for installation artist Erwin Redl. His work has appeared in juried exhibitions nationwide, including Surreal Salon 14 (Baton Rouge Gallery) and the 85th National Midyear Exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art. In 2024, his painting “Loco-Motive” won Best of Show at the 126th Annual Exhibition of Indiana and Ohio Artists at the Richmond Art Museum, and the work entered the museum’s permanent collection.

Related Links

• Department of Art
• Weyers-Sampson Art Gallery
• Read more about Aaron Pickens

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