My studio is my playground - color and shapes my favorite toys. Materials are not precious here, only the time to enjoy them is. I prioritize imperfections and visual surprises, using the space to experiment and dance around. I strive for spontaneity, the unexpected, and texture from both my life and my work.

I believe color is a universal love language and. From our very first memories to our day dreams, palettes inform our lives and transform our moods, energies, and spaces.

I’m interested in memories and objects and the sentimentalism that informs them. My process starts often with organic shapes, cut from paper or scribbled in pencil - distilling complex feelings and ideas down to their simplest forms. In this, I strive to balance imperfection. To perfect a pathway to surprise.

I’m inspired by childhood and childlike expression- spontaneous, textured, playful. I feel most connected to my process when surprises happen: the best parts being unplanned, an outcome of holding loosely and controlling less. In turn, my art becomes a visual mantra for the kind of life I hope to practice.

Creating is my act of defiance towards a tangled brain. My rememberance of play. Most of us live in spinning heads of overanalysis. I'm no different. My practice allows me space to work from intuition and feel. It allows me to unstuck myself from my own head and engage with instinct. The best playtime I have found.

It is my sincere hope, through color and form, that I can offer a space for others to lead with feeling, curiosity, play, and lightness.

In the Studio

Ashley is a Minnesota native, who splits her time between Minneapolis and Des Moines, IA. Ashley is a multi-disciplinary artist, muralist, and designer whose work is defined by a signature, highly recognizable shape language. Whether she is composing an intimate collage or a large-scale environmental mural, her work maintains a consistent visual through-line that celebrates color, organic form, and the "beautiful accident."

This distinct aesthetic has allowed Ashley to move fluidly between her studio and the commercial world. Her distinct visual language has translated into self-branded collections for major national retailers, as well as collaborative projects across brands nationwide. By translating tactile studio "scraps" into sophisticated brand stories, Ashley transforms public and private spaces into immersive, joyful experiences.

Her studio in Minneapolis is at the Northrup King Building and in Des Moines, you can find her at Mainframe Studios. Sign up for her newsletter to get more updates on her studio and commercial work happenings.