I’m Aden - a queer and non-binary artist living nomadically in a tiny trailer, traveling the western states with my cat Luna while I pursue recovery from chronic illness through a mind-body approach to healing & wellness.

I work primarily with gouache paint on paper to create botanical, abstract, and nature-inspired designs that explore themes of interconnectedness and internal landscape. I often see these designs representing emotional ecosystems, and the way our internal worlds blend with the external.

These conceptual themes are inseparable from the way I experience the world through the lens of chronic illness and disability, the healing process, and what that has meant for my mind & body. My artistic process explores what it means to be human - the fragility and the resilience of our bodies in a world that is both indifferent to our existence, and the source of all we need to survive.

The aesthetic of my work, and the highly controlled way of applying gouache paint to achieve this matte print-like effect, is a stylistic approach that emerged through the onset of chronic illness, as a way to channel my desire for control amidst uncontrollable circumstances. The flatness and graphic quality of these paintings, as well as the playful approach to scale reference my visual experience of derealization. 

My work tells a story in a shared visual language - these same archetypal elements combined in different ways, creating a world that feels like a soft place to explore hard things. 

I also offer an 8 week microdosing coaching program, to support fellow humans in their own journeys of personal healing & self-discovery. I look forward to sharing more of the wandering human world with you!