Artist Aaron Sheppard ‘struck over the head by something heavenly that fell to earth.’

By Kristen Peterson

Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | 2 a.m.

Name: Aaron Sheppard, artist

Age: 32

Education: Bachelor of Fine Art, Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D.C.; Master of Fine Art candidate, UNLV

The artist: The Nebraska born-and-raised Sheppard embodies remnants from his various lifestyles — construction worker, art student, drag performer (Barbie Q), rocker. The 6-foot-4 artist weathered the grit of Washington, D.C., wove through the New York underground scene performing in his band, Peter and the Pansexuals, and meditated with monks in Japanese temples. His long hair, mutton chops and eye makeup are a seeming amalgamation of a childhood spent in his grandfather’s lumberyard and his rock ’n’ roll dreams. A subtle cowboy drawl lingers from childhood summers spent with family in Amarillo, Texas.

His work: Sexuality, individuality and gender identity are dominant issues in Sheppard’s performances and paintings. Multimedia works, pieced together from paint, wood, canvas and found objects, are raw, intense, guttural and emotional, a result, he says, of strategically purging his internal dialogue. He’s not just working through his own issues. His thesis exhibition, “lipstickaforkinme,” on display this week at the Donna Beam Fine Art Gallery, explores expected and realistic roles of women in today’s society via how they are represented and often exploited in media and popular culture, from fashion to porn.

As one of few artists in town active in performance art, Sheppard teamed with artist David Sanchez to produce “Lustre Flux,” a monthly performance art event at the Aruba hotel, and posed as a living sculpture (mannequin hanging in the window) in the “3Dimentia” exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Center.

On being an artist: “I knew from Day One that’s what I was going to do because my dad’s an artist. He’d start throwing me into shows when I was 12. Without people knowing.”

Getting to Vegas: In 2006 Sheppard joined his family for a brief vacation in Las Vegas. He left New York with his portfolio and his band’s CDs because “you never know what’s going to happen. I always ran into John Waters in New York.” In Vegas, he called the entertainment director at New York-New York to see about getting a gig for his band, then headed over to UNLV, where he found a few students lingering on the campus during spring break. Ten hours later he had met several students and a few professors, was given a tour of the campus and local scene, and was offered a position as a graduate student.

On Vegas: While on a 30-day cross-country road trip with a friend in 2006, Sheppard fell in love with Vegas — “struck over the head by something heavenly that fell to earth.” The finding-Elvis road trip resulted in a multimedia exhibit at a Brooklyn gallery. His subsequent artwork with Vegas imagery — RVs, strippers, girls — sold out. Moving here never sullied his experience.

“I’ve had a hell of a great time being here. I love the weather. I love the palm trees. It’s the most romantic place I’ve ever been. There’s something you can have or do or be when here that’s been ingrained in your head even before moving here, a never-settling mystique. Vegas is floating. Even if I don’t actualize this fantasy in my head, at least it’s in my head, and that’s good enough.”

On art in Vegas: “I don’t think this town should be compared to other towns. Just let Vegas be what it is and it will take off. There’s a difference in attitude and aesthetic toward art here, which is good for me. You have to expose yourself in New York to survive. It’s what’s demanded because what else do you have to offer that’s unique?”

Other interests: Puppets (“I love Jim Henson and the Muppets”) and aliens (“I’d love to be abducted by aliens and go into space”).

Sticking around? “I haven’t made any plans. I’ll probably stay here. I do want to experience the city a bit more. I could be here three months. I could be here 30 years. I don’t know.”