Ashley creates contemporary paintings informed by her maternal experience. Due to pregnancy complications that led to her son’s premature birth, her new body of work addresses the crisis of the Black maternal mortality and morbidity rate in America. In October 2021, Ashley was invited to show in a group exhibition for Black women’s wellness at the historical institution, South Side Community Art Center in Chicago. In June 2021, Ashley was also invited to show in an online group exhibition by Dominique Gallery through Artsy. In recent years, her works have been exhibited in numerous venues including, SoLA Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA; the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL; Viridian Artists Inc, New York, NY; Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA; Pacific Art Foundation, Newport Beach, CA; and the Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA. Recently, her paintings have been seen in the new television series, Kings of Napa, on OWN. In 2018, she was selected as a first-place award winner at the Woman Made Gallery’s Midwest Open in Chicago. In 2017, Ashley won the Beverly Bank Best of Show Award at the Beverly Arts Center’s juried competition.
Ashley earned her MFA in Painting from Laguna College of Art and Design, Laguna Beach, CA in 2017 and her BS in Communication with an Advertising concentration and Minor in Studio Art from Bradley University, Peoria, IL in 2009. She lives in Chicago with her husband, son, dog, and works from her studio at Mana Contemporary.