Carly Ashdown
Carly’s earliest memories are of picking up a pencil and drawing pictures of people. She spent countless hours concocting stories in her mind, illustrating them and bringing them to life through her original sketches.
Despite a flourishing career in television, in organisations such as the BBC and Channel 4, eventually Carly’s instinct to draw and paint deposed her previous career path, when she began to hone her skills.
Carly delights in her style of painting; creating the illusionary quality of movement. Her thought-provoking art draws upon the experience of being human. With inspirations including artists like Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko, she explores the fragility of life and emotions through her expressive paintings.
Describing her approach as “a conversation between myself and the emerging painting”, the artist creates a basic outline before building colours and responding to the way the paint lands on the canvas.
“The layering of words concealed in many of my artworks hide a secret message to be uncovered by the viewer”, as Carly explains.
“I write mainly about the challenges and joys of being human, and the sense of possibility, strength and belonging. I wait for the right moment, and then I write whatever comes to me. It’s incredibly fast and very alive – like pure energy as the sentences hit the canvas.”
Above all, here is an artist whose aim is to create beautiful pieces which are expressive, dynamic and vibrant; paintings that are a celebration of the human form and the beauty of movement and – most importantly – a celebration of life.