Contemporary realist Aaron Westerberg was born in San Diego, California on June 27, 1974, and raised in the rural, mountainous town of Ramona, one of San Diego County’s oldest communities.  As a child his urge to draw was inspired by the area’s picturesque surroundings, which included intriguing and distinct boulder formations. 

He continued his artistic path by enrolling at a small community college in the nearby town of San Marcos, where he studied life drawing and illustration.  He further developed his skills by taking classes in traditional life-drawing at the California Art Institute in Westlake Village where he was encouraged to study the works of nineteenth century American and European artists.  He found particular inspiration in the paintings of Edmund Tarbell (1862-1928), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925) and Anders Zorn (1860-1920), three artists whose sense of form, color and light, continue to inspire Westerberg. 

Westerberg’s drive for advancing his painting skills ultimately led him to teach.  From 2000 to 2005, he taught at the California Art Institute, and since 2005 he has become a faculty member at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art where he continues to instruct courses in drawing and painting. 

During this period, his work received attention in several national publications, including the cover of Strokes of Genius: The Best of Drawing and in 2002 Westerberg was listed in Southwest Art’s annual roster of “Twenty-One under Thirty-One.”  In 2007 he was given a feature story in American Art Collector magazine, as well as being named one of the best 24 artists under 40 by Artist Magazine. 

Aaron Westerberg is an Artist Member of the California Art Club, as well as a member of Oil Painters of America and the Portrait Society of America.

(Courtesy of AskArt)

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