BMFA Artist Directory

Born August 29th, 1995, Aaron Eckersley-Kates (otherwise addressed as Aaron E. Kates) grew up with a passion for animals, illustrating, and storytelling. Some of his biggest influences include Tony DiTerlizzi (American author and illustrator; best known for collaborating with Holly Black for "The Spiderwick Chronicles"), Aaron Blaise (former Disney animator; best known for "Beauty and the Beast", "The Lion King", and "Brother Bear"), and Maurice Sendak (American author and illustrator; best known for "Where the Wild Things Are" and collaborating with Else Holmelund Minarik for "Little Bear"). While largely self taught, he took art classes during high school. As a novice artist, Aaron started largely with pen and ink, in recent years he expanded to acrylic, gouache, and digital art.