Ashley grew up in Connecticut, then studied at Boston University where she received a BA in International Relations inspired by an interest in travel and different cultures.
After school she felt pulled to visual arts, her first love, and began working in graphic design and later creative direction. In 2015 she began studying drawing and painting at The Art League in Alexandria, Virginia and The Art Students League of New York.
When she became a mother in 2017 she stopped working in design to be at home full time with her baby but quickly realized she still needed to make art. So she began painting during nap time. Since then, and after having a second child, she continues to build and evolve her art practice.
About the Artist
Ashley is a Virginia-based multidisciplinary artist interested in translating her experiences into a visual vocabulary to explore how color, texture, shape, and composition communicate what words sometimes cannot. Her work draws from travel, memories, and motherhood, transforming those impressions into abstract forms. This practice has taught her to slow down, observe more closely, and find beauty in what might otherwise go unnoticed.
Artist Statement
Exhibitions
2023 October 2023 Open Exhibit, Juried group exhibition, Alexandria, VA
2020 Focus Under Forty, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT.
2020 Spring Juried Show, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT.
2019 Autumn Juried Show, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT.
2019 Focus Under Forty, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT. Honorable Mention
2018 Autumn Juried Show, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT
2016 Mark Twain Library 44th Annual Art Show, Juried group exhibition, Redding, CT
2016 Focus Under Forty, Juried group exhibition, Rowayton, CT. First Place in Oils
2015 Mark Twain Library 43rd Annual Art Show, Juried group exhibition, Redding, CT
2015 Inspiration, Juried group exhibition. Rowayton, CT
2014 Dia de los Muertos, Juried group exhibition. Arlington, VA
Education
2005: BA, Boston University
2015, 2016: The Art League School, Alexandria, VA
Portrait Painting in Oil with Edward J. Reed
Figure and Portrait Drawing and Painting in Oil with Robert Liberace
2017, 2018: private study with Felicia Forte
Workshops:
2016: Portrait Painting in Oil, Casey Childs, Purcelville, VA
2016: The Figure in Charcoal: Teresa Oaxaca, The Art League School, Alexandria, VA
2015: Investigating the Contemporary Portrait in Oils: David Kassan, The Art Students League of NY
2008: Head Studies and Painting the Figure: Clayton J. Beck III, Scottsdale Artists School, AZ
2008: Investigating the Rhythm and Emotion of the Portrait: David Kassan, Scottsdale Artists School, AZ