HELLO. I'M ASHLEIGH. AND I'M AN ARTIST.
“I’ve always been an artist…When I’m drawing a picture, I feel…quiet inside.”
– Katherine Applegate, The One and Only Ivan
My Past.
Originally from Seneca, SC, a competitive gymnastics carreer led me to James Madison University in Harrisonburg, VA where I earned a degree in Health Sciences/Pre-Med. As a gymnast, using the human body as a means of creative expression and strength was always a huge part of my identity. But it was a part I put aside after college in favor of a more “safe” life path and career choice. FYI…there is nothing safe about ignoring parts of who you are.
My affinity for undergraduate human anatomy and physiology, combined with a post-college athlete identity crisis led me to The University of Maryland-Baltimore, where I received a Masters Degree in Pathology. I practiced as a Pathologists’ Assistant for over 10 years but never felt I was living my authentic self. The irony of feeling like I was slowly dying while performing autopsies is not lost on me ;). Everyone has a pivotal life moment that shifts their perspective. Mine eventually came in the form of traumatic grief, which with more of a swift kick rather than a gentle nudge, pushed me to return to creativity as a means of reconnecting with myself. Coming back to self-expression through visual art feels like coming home to who I am.
I traded a scalpel for a palette knife. Art over autopsies. #aknifeinmyart
My Present.
I’m so grateful for the journey and do not take for granted how my formal education gives me a mental road map for the human form. I am able to see my subject from the inside out whether painting from models or my own imagination. Combining this learned ability with intuitive artistic expression, I seek to portray emotion through my art. I hope viewers walk away from my figure work having rediscovered or explored dormant parts of themselves. In this way, I hope to gift viewers with a small part of the experience I have when I paint from life...always using my subject as a mirror, reflecting back to me who I am, who I was, or who I want to be.
My work can be described as “colorful” or “moody”, often exploring social injustices, inequality, spirituality, personal and collective growth, or common human experiences and emotions. I primarily use a palette knife for clean color, texture. It keeps me loose, preventing me from slipping into my former profession and dissecting every detail as I’m inclined to do with a brush.
I’m inspired by my own vivid and colorful dreams, life experiences, surroundings and current events. I most often paint from life because I like the energy of the shared experience…I love being in a room full of artists where everyone is silently going about their work, each painting, sculpting or drawing the same subject but seeing it so differently from one another. When we take the time to really “see” a subject and study how others see it, we realize we are not separate and we learn to have compassion for others as well as ourselves. We connect. Art really does heal, which was reason enough to drop the scalpel and pick up the palette knife ;). So much of life as I currently know it is about learning to let go of what no longer serves and picking up what brings joy.
I do not have a fancy art degree nor do I consider myself “self taught”. Every person I encounter is a teacher and those lessons are reflected in my work. I am forever a student, taking classes and workshops from artists I admire. I consider my two children, Claire and Hugh, to be my greatest teachers and also my greatest work.
My Future.
I’m fortunate my figure work has caught the eye of an amazing local interior designer (Julie Couch of Julie Couch Interiors). My work can also be found at ArtBeat in the Gulch of Nashville, TN. Although my art focuses on the human figure, I’ve been described as a versatile artist. I am a proud member of The Chestnut Group and enjoy painting plein air and studio landscapes as well as still life. Whether it be a charcoal drawing, oil painting, gouache study or ink sketch, I’m just thrilled my work connects with viewers and am open to wherever my creative path takes me. Beyond anything, I’m just so grateful to share my story, heal, and find community through art.
Evoke · Evolve · Expand
I LOOK FORWARD TO CREATING WITH YOU!
