Aaron Smith is an artist whose new exhibition, "Coterie of The Wolly Woofter," featuring various "Bearded Blokes," will open June 2nd in New York City at Sloan Fine Art. The Advocate snagged an interview a couple months back. Their description of the work:
The collection’s focus is on Victorian and Edwardian dandyism as well as the physical culture movement. Smith has produced a new series of paintings based on some of these photographs, featuring portraits of bearded men, with titles culled from Victorian street slang. Despite their historical origins, the new aesthetics of the paintings tend to draw parallels to a playful relationship with the male persona expressed within various contemporary subcultures. Freak folk, steampunk, bear culture, and beard/moustache culture are a few demographics that celebrate and manipulate traditional masculine archetypes. Smith’s paintings seek to compress and heighten these relationships.
The Dish 