Interview with Ashley Harris

Some years ago, I featured artist in what I called “The Art of Handmade” – the concept was fantastic – featuring Handmade Artists – but then things shifted for me in business – and so here we are today – me still featuring Artists of all walks of life – and today – I am going to share an interview with you with Ashley Harris!

What do you Do?

I’m a painter. I paint with mostly acrylics on stretched cotton canvas. Every so often I will explore other mediums.

What do you like to do the most?

I paint a variety of things from famous people like Marilyn Monroe to landscapes. My favorite thing to paint though is trees, dead trees to be exact. I feel like I can put my emotion into those dead trees. I can make a dead tree show love and happiness just by the branches how they reach up and embrace the moon or sun. I can make them sad by dropping the branches or making the sky dark and haunting. I just have a more emotional connection with dead trees.

What is your strongest memory or art in your childhood?

Well my strongest memory wasn’t a good one unfortunately. I always have loved art and would take art classes. I had this one art class that didn’t go as I had hoped.

The teacher never would let me paint what I wanted she was always in control of my work. She would come to me and tell me things about how I needed to be better at certain things and when I would say my painting was done she would come behind me and tell me to change things. It pushed me away from art for a few years honestly and when I did do art I would hide it because I never thought it was ever good enough. Finally one day in my adulthood my husband pushed me to create my artwork and pursue it and I’m so thankful for that.

Why art?

Well, why not? Its freedom of expression. I can put my emotions into something beautiful. It has always been a way to clear my head and get me out of a slump. Some people who don’t consider themselves as artist doodle all the time when they are bored. Doodling is art just others may not see it that way. Art is beautiful.

What do you dislike about your own work?

I’m my own worst critic. If we sat down to discuss a piece I’ve done I would point out many things wrong with it. I should have added this here or that there but if I listened to myself I’d never finish anything.

I don’t consider myself set in one art medium I like to explore but if I had to choose one it would be acrylics on canvas.

To check out more Ashley Harris work visit her Facebook Page