Ashley

February 4, 2009 Ashley

This is Ashley.  It looks like she is dreaming something up in her studio where she is right now and most of the time.  I’m not just blogging about her because I want you to say “how sweet,” or “how rediculous- now get back to work.”  I think you need to know her  if you’re going to follow our story to Brooklyn in this blog.  She doesn’t want to co write it so you’ll just have to hear my side of the story.  And boy do I have one. 

Okay, the first thing about Ashley.  She is a consummate idealist.  If you thought what I wrote yesterday about shutting all the doors to big box retail was a bit extreme, that blog didn’t really need saying to her and in fact wasn’t even that interesting.  I asked her if she read it all the way through and I think she lied.  She is an idealist to extremes I’ve never even heard of.   If she does the laundry she dries the clothes outside on a line and yesterday they were out there when I got home.  She said the sun had been out earlier.  I said it didn’t matter, it had been 19 degrees all day. 

I think this is why she paints so well.

I miss my electric skin

 

owl

 

green view trailer park

 

She is an entrepeneur with a business she calls Jaunty where she sells handmade crafts on www.etsy.com.

 

And she designs storefronts like this one in Knoxville’s market square at Abode.  www.abodeknoxville.com

I said she designed this, I didn’t say she made it.  Thats me with the jigsaw folks.  Yes, I guess I am pretty handy.

To widen your understanding  of Ashley you must also know that she picked creative writing instead of art in college because she wanted to teach middle school English.  She is equally as good a writer and scribbles out for hours in her journals what her paintings are going to convey.  Most people sketch that part, right?  She began her masters in education when the clash happened.  Her ideas of progressive education met the stern system of how things have always been.  She student taught while absorbed in graduate coursework; the whole time painting for her exhibits.  At the end of a lot of advising she decided to defer.  If she ever decides to teach she will be one of those teachers that no student can ever forget.  For her to cope in the system she would have to be radical, which she would say research shows is not that radical, or not do it at all.

 

And maybe she will one day.  On etsy you will find her handmade educational materials that coalesce fine art and classroom design.

 

The whole deferment of the program happened this past December.  Then in January I put in my notice.  This is about as far as we’ve gotten with our plans.  We need your help.  Ashley is in the Dogwood Arts Festival Limited Edition Fine Print Competition at Three Flights Up gallery downtown Knoxville or www.threeflightsup.com between Feb 6- 27th and needs your vote.  You can read more about the arts festival at www.dogwoodarts.com.  She is also showing at Earthfare in Turkey Creek,  http://www.earthfare.com/storeinfo/1200/details/3089  for the month of February and Old City Java in March.  Its a great time to start collecting fine art.  What else are you going to invest in?

 

Tags: abode, dogwood arts, earthfare, etsy, three flights up

• 2 comments
• Posted under Ashley, Life