Aaron Pickens was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio. He attended Toledo School for the Arts between 2001 – 2007, where he pursued music, audio production, and painting. After high school, Aaron attended Bowling Green State University to study visual arts. He completed his BFA in Digital Arts in December of 2011 with a focus on animation and illustration. During his time at BGSU, Aaron received a CURS grant, and was the recipient of an Amy Ringholz Art Supply Award. Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Aaron worked for a Toledo based video game company as a lead production artist. Wanting to improve his understanding of drawing and painting, Aaron applied to graduate programs through out the country. In the fall of 2012, he was accepted to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a tuition waiver and stipend as a graduate assistant. Aaron completed his MFA in May 2015 with a thesis exhibition that focused on representational paintings of toys. Recently he won the Best of Show in the 2014 Salon Des Refuses in Toledo, Ohio and was accepted into the Butler Institute of American Art National Mid-Year Exhibition. Currently, Aaron Pickens resides in Bowling Green, Ohio, where he is assisting renowned digital installation artist, Erwin Redl.