Aaron M Portrait of Aaron Maxwell by Corinne Holloway

From Dana Maxwell, Aaron’s partner:

He was 19 years of age when he was murdered.

He is my son's father.

My son was 2 years of age when he passed away.

Aaron liked to play basketball and he loved to rap (make music).

Aaron was very close to his family.

Aaron made me smile easily. And even at such a young age, he was my friend and my lover.

Aaron had a silly side that he didn't show to everyone.

I loved his smile so much!

I love the fact that he gave me my first born son!

I hate the fact that he was taken away from us too soon!

As I sit here typing this I am starting to cry!

My favorite memory of Aaron was him selling his car so that we could put a deposit on our apartment.

But overall, we have so many great memories.

From the artist Corinne Holloway: In a media-saturated culture, murder victims are often seen as statistics. My goal with this painting of Aaron was to remind us that each number represents a soul of inestimable worth. Historically, gold has been used to represent the valuable or spiritual and portraits have often been reserved for the important. I used gold to paint a portrait of Aaron because, as a person, he was just as valuable as a king and as soulful as a saint. He was a fellow human being made imago dei, with joys, hopes, and fears. His life is worthy of remembrance.

From the curator: The beautiful gold that Corinne chose for this portrait, as she explains above, is best viewed in person. Yet even with this image her use of radiating lines and Aaron’s pose illuminates his exuberance. He seems an explosion of energy and he was ready to use it with his new child and making a bold move so his young family could have a home together. Another heartbreaking loss felt by so many.

Aaron M Portrait of Aaron Maxwell by Corinne Holloway gold gouache watercolor on canvas 25” x 34” 2017