Aaron Wooten’s quirky, layered style transforms cityscapes into surreal scenes

CHICAGO – Under the Red Line tracks at Sherwin Avenue, there is a mural that opens a window into the world of artist Aaron Wooten.

“I don’t look at the world as a very nice place,” Wooten said with a chuckle. “So, I try to think of things to do that may make people laugh or be funny or make some kind of connection that makes it a little easier.”

Wooten, 46, describes his art as nostalgic and whimsical. It’s on display in a handful of galleries like the Artful Framer in Lake View.

Wooten often combines our familiar world, with the out-of-this-world.

“I just like to combine elements that are familiar to people then some elements that are not familiar,” Wooten said.

His style echoes Gary Larson’s “Far Side” comics. 

“I’ve heard that a number of times,” he said. “Definitely with the cars, I see how they look very similar.  Kind of fat, overstuffed, comical looking things that only belong in artworks, and not in reality.”

In his home studio, he’s creating his latest piece: Godzilla towering over city buildings.

“We’ll paint Godzilla today, so I have a green paint,” he said.

The paint is mixed in a salsa jar. The tones, however, aren’t very spicey. In fact, they are somewhat flat. 

“I kind of stick with a muted color, that’s something I like,” he said.

He layers wood frames, canvass, and cardboard to create 3D effects that bring the scene closer to the eye.  

“It’s kind of a new process for me and I think what I like most about it is you don’t really know where you’re going with it,” Wooten said. “Sometimes, I’ll just cut up some random shapes and throw them together and see what it looks like.”

By day, he works as a teacher’s aide at Lane Tech College Prep.  The hustle and bustle of high school is a contrast to the solitary studio.

“Doing art is kind of a lonely experience,” he said. “When I go to work, I work at a school, it’s the exact opposite. So, I like that balance of seeing people, actually talking to people, and then coming home and shutting up and going into my studio for a little bit.”

Wooten is a married father of two. He approaches art with the same child-like wonder that his kids do.

“Sometimes my art and my kids’ art will look exactly the same,” he said. “So, it’s hard to differentiate.”