A. Dawn is an Outsider Artist who creates art that invites the beholder to find rest and feel joy.

Ashley began immersing herself in the painting world at a young age thanks to her grandmothers. She spent summers on the Brazos River with her grandma who encouraged her to experiment with acrylic and watercolor painting. Her granny was instrumental in securing her formal training in graphite and colored pencil drawing at age 10. Ashley also focused heavily on art during high school.

Once in college, Ashley had to leave her art on the proverbial shelf in order to focus on her studies in pre-medicine. She moved to San Marcos, Texas, in 2006 to pursue a master’s degree in counseling. Thanks to that move and the friendships she formed there, Ashley was asked to paint during live worship at the opening of the San Marcos Healing Rooms in 2011. That inspired her to continue to paint there regularly, and she has been developing her Contemporary Impressionistic technique ever since.

These days Ashley prefers to paint in acrylic on stretched canvas, and her favorite artists are Monet, Renoir and Van Gogh. Her subject focus tends to be landscapes, particularly sunsets—her favorite time of the day. Since 2012 she has signed her work as A. Dawn, as Dawn is her middle name.