STATEMENT

 

“My paintings are visual and textural dialogues between myself and the viewer. Weaving and layering found objects, commercial images, photographs and artifacts from my personal history with paint and acrylic polymers, I create semi-abstract landscapes and architecture as vehicles to tell my stories. The process of creating my paintings begins well before I actually put the collage or paint on the canvas (or wood). I spend years collecting the fodder of my work before I actually use it.

 

I first collage the entire surface and then I add layers and layers of paint. After studying the initial base of the painting I then begin to carve out the shapes that will become the protagonists of my narrative. My technique of layering paint and collage, combined with a vibrant and complex color palette, results in a tactile and juicy visual language.”

BIO

 

Stefanie Ashby is a California-born artist who moved to the New York metropolitan area in 1997. Growing up in Carmel-By-The-Sea, an internationally known arts community, Ashby was exposed to contemporary fine art and photography at an early age. Inspired by what she saw, she spent hours painting, drawing and taking photographs. Ashby pursued her passion for painting through years of experimentation and had the nerve to take risks to arrive at her current body of work, which is as celebratory as it is meaningful.

 

Her lush, tactile collage paintings incorporate bits and pieces gathered from her life like the pages of a visual diary. Treasured scraps of colored paper, quotes clipped from magazines and fabrics from her own clothing, heighten the sensitivity and texture in her canvases. With a keen eye for color and composition as well as a clear-cut understanding of the zeal that drives an individual, Ashby’s paintings boldly leap from the personal to the universal. Her semi-abstract landscapes of paintings create textural dialogues, enticing the viewer to look deeper into her expertly woven layers of personal fodder.

 

Recognized for her talent Ashby has had eight solo and four group exhibitions since locating to the metro area. Currently, she works as a full-time artist and business entrepreneur. Ashby lives and works in Hoboken, New Jersey.