“Each piece starts with a white piece of paper or a blank canvas. Beyond the initial seed of inspiration, is exploration and mystery. As the creative process of painting unfolds, it reveals something altogether new made visible. What’s important is to move forward on this unseen path.”

Born in Kansas in 1984, Jacob Aguiar can recall spending countless hours drawing what he saw out the window of his childhood home. An avid lover of the outdoors from an early age, his favorite activities as a child involved playing in the fields and woods of rural Kansas. This love of the outdoors is deeply engrained in his sense of self, and he feels most at ease in nature. It was in 2011 that his love of art and his love of nature met. Burned out in naturopathic medical school, he took a yearlong leave of absence to spend time with family and pursue art. He spent that year in the small Northern California town of Sebastopol studying masters of the landscape, and obsessively painting. During that year, he traveled throughout the west, studying with preeminent pastel landscape artists, and painting outdoors and in the studio. After nearly a decade splitting his time as a naturopathic doctor and artist, he recently retired from medicine to paint full time.  

Jacob is now an internationally recognized pastel artist living in Boxford, MA with his wife Laura, son Henry, and daughter Lucy. He splits his time between painting inspiring New England landscapes and the western landscape of Wyoming. He has won many awards including 3rd place overall in the 2017 Plein Air Salon for Gentle Stroll, and several awards in Pastel 100 competitions. In 2023, with the American Impressionist Society (AIS), he won an honorable mention in their prestigious small works show, and 1st place in the all-member associate division show. He has exhibited in galleries throughout the US,  and at the Brinton Museum in Big Horn, Wyoming. He has a two person show at the museum in 2025. Jacob is a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America, and Master Circle honoree of the International Association of Pastel Societies (IAPS). He is currently represented by Turner Fine Art in Jackson Hole, WY, Ballard's Fine Art in Sheridan, WY, Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville, VT and Stowe, VT,  and Powers Gallery in Acton, MA.  His work has been featured in several art magazines including Plein Air Magazine, Southwest Art, and the Pastel Journal.  

Jacob hosts an active Patreon educational program, as well as teaches plein air and studio workshops around the country and internationally. 

Jacob has recently been designated as a Master Pastelist with the Pastel Society of America. This accomplishment is the result of winning awards in 3 PSA Enduring Brilliance Annual Exhibitions.  

Jacob's painting Last of the Snow was awarded the "Next Generation of Pastelists" award by the distinguished Diana Thompson. Diane is the Director of Collections, The National Academy of Design, New York. 

Vermont Blues was awarded First Place in the Associate Division of the All-Member Show of the American Impressionist Society.  

Gentle Stroll was awarded 3rd place overall in the annual Plein Air Salon Competition, which included work from some of the top oil, watercolor, acrylic, and pastel artists in the country. 

Recent Awards

2023 First Place Overall Associate Division in the All-Members Show, American Impressionist Society
2023 Honorable Mention Small Works Show, American Impressionist Society
2023 Next Generation of Pastelists Award, Pastel Society of America
2023 2nd Place Overall, Carmel Plein Air