Featured Artist: Aaron Beatty (presented by The Silk Tent)

Aaron is currently exhibiting at Ultra Silk Gallery at 3808 Lancaster Ave in Powelton Village, West Philly. He only has a few pieces still available, as his entire collection has nearly sold out. So stop in today before his exhibition is over on March 1!

Aaron Beatty is an illustrator, painter, comic book and digital artist from Philadelphia PA; a city that plays a major role in his life and work. Aaron has been making art from an early age starting with copying panels from his favorite comic books. This interest led him to study at The High School of Creative and Performing Arts, Pratt Institute and Parsons School of Design. Over the years he has worked in the comic book industry as an inker, a freelance illustrator, art director and teacher just to name a few.

Aaron's creative influences are drawn from a diverse kaleidoscope of music, social events and cultural revolutionary artists of the 1970's. Music from Afro-Punk, Miles Davis, Nina Simone and Fela Kuti were his lyrical

'Sirens. Artists such as Jean Michel Basquiat, Jerry Pinkney and fellow art friends Reggie Byers, Christopher Taylor and Eric Battle fuels his collective fellowship with the Black Arts movement.

From his mastery of combining all these influential elements, Aaron has created imaginary images that honor the historical past, speaks to the present and focuses on the future. This exhibition compels the viewer to analyze the symbolic regions of the heart and soul and expand our interpretations of visual storytelling

The Silk Tent Piece of the Week:

The Ituri Line

THE SILK TENT presents a line of eye-catching jewelry inspired by the Mbuti Tribe, located in the Ituri Forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. These unique designs come to life in a reinterpretation of patterns that capture the free spirit of "bamiki-bandura” (children of the forest)

With this Ituri Line, the Silk Tent aspires to contribute a percentage of its proceeds to charities that aid the artisans of the Democratic Republic of Congo during its period of strife. In helping to preserve their valuable talents, The Silk Tent also hopes to expand this line into other related products that showcase their inspirational creativity.