Today we’d like to introduce you to Susan Ashley.
Susan, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
My parents moved from Dayton Ohio to Burlingame, California. They soon divorced. My dad, as a consultant for non-profit, charitable organizations and my mom had her own newcomers business.
I went to UC Berkeley and majored in social welfare and took many art history courses. I met my love, Andre, at Berkeley. He joined the Navy and we lived in San Diego 2 years. When he deployed, I followed the ship into the ports. Japan was awesome with asymmetry and lots of space. We had our 3 children, and being an at home mom, worked in an art gallery in sales.
I took art at community colleges., I worked interior design in department stores and painted watercolors. I also studied ikebana, Japanese flower arrangements. Once I asked to show flowers at Bouquets to Art at SF De Young Museum. In 2007, I won a scholarship to SF Academy of Art.
A workshop with Derek Gores taught me collage techniques. I have developed a style of collage by making it look as if painted. In 2015, Intl’ Award at Manhattan Arts given for my self-portrait, JUST A WOMAN.
We now have moved to Chula Vista. San Diego is a very artful community.
We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
Mixed Media is why I love to create while I am painting or making the artwork. I am not looking at a landscape or an item to detail exactly what I see. I like to explore techniques of watercolor by spraying or brush painting, using acrylic paint and collage all mixed together. I step back to see how my artwork is appearing and what I mean to add to make it say exactly what I want. I feel it intrigues the person viewing to convey thoughts visually. In most of the collage portraits, I use pieces of magazines or pieces of abstractly painted paper. I try to show each person’s story differently and in using collage as if it were painted. Color is a strong part of my art. I love to show the touch of humanity in my art whether I do a portrait, city-scenes, man-made objects or floral arrangements.
What do you know now that you wished you had learned earlier?
I have advice about how you display art through Social Media. Visually the best way I found is Instagram. My art has been well-received on Instagram. Also, I wish I had set up a new website host earlier in my career with making my art show on mobile phones. People do so much more surfing and purchasing items on their phones today than in the past. I have great respect for outstanding mentors like mine with Renee Phillips of Manhattan Arts. She truly is looking to see what the best opportunity for each individual artist is. You have to be careful of some art consultants who only want their own self-promotion.
Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
I recommend my website: www.ashleyfinearts.com. I just changed my website hosting to a new host. Art Span. I am still updating the web details about the art, but I am delighted to have the website up and available on mobile phones. I am happy to have 3 Collage Portraits showing right now in Olaf Wieghorst Museum with a group of artists from the San Diego Museum of Art Artist Guild. The show at the museum runs through May 29, 2018. The address is 131 Rea Avenue, El Cajon. Sometimes my art is shown locally in San Diego galleries.
Recently one city scene made with collage was featured in a New York art show of the National Association of Women Artists. Theme of the show was Shelter and the artwork, Bird Wing at Ground Zero, received a Certificate of Excellence. I have been honored by national shows and an International Award. I also am on Facebook_www.facebook.com/ArtPixelsSusan and Instagram_Susan.Ashley.Ashleyarts and twitter_AshleyArts.
Contact Info:
- Address: Chula Vista, California 91915
- Website: www.ashleyfinearts.com
- Phone: 408 910-3600
- Email: ashley.arts.susan@gmail.com
- Instagram: Susan.ashley.ashleyarts
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ArtPixelsSusan
- Twitter: ashleyarts2
- Other: www.sdmaag.org
Image Credit:
These images are Susan Ashley images
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