Awards, recognitions, and other credentials

Ashley is most noted for her two minute charcoal portraits which she gives away for free at the Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival, in return for whatever donation her customers feel comfortable with. However, she does not recieve the money she earns. She uses it to buy art supplies for hurricane ravaged schools across the gulf coast. She was featured in the May 2006 issue of CosmoGirl as the month's "She's so CosmoGirl!" for her efforts that resulted in well over $1000 worth of art supplies that she personally delivered to Hancock High School in Waveland, MS. This was not, however, her first accomplishment. In her ninth grade year at Milton High School she placed second in the student competition at the GGAF, her fellow ribbon holders being one junior and two seniors. That same year she joined the Santa Rosa Art Association and has remained the youngest member until this year, during which three new high school graduates joined, much to the delight of the association. She graduated from Milton in the top 15% of her class with awards and medals from Mu Alpha Theta, National Honors Society, National Beta, Milton Beta, and was also a member of National Art Honors Society, Chorus, Indoor Colorguard, and Indoor Drumline during her high school years. After graduation she began her college career at Pensacola Junior College, with almost a year's worth of credits already under her belt from her dual enrollment while in high school, and 100% Florida Bright Futures to pay her tuition. She then had two pieces of work, an oil painting and a found object sculpture, in the PJC Student Exhibition and was awarded a $400 scholarship from the Gulf Breeze Arts Association for her work in the show. She is currently finishing up her AA degree in Fine Arts and hopes to continue to a four year college and earn her BFA in Fine Arts then move on to a career in concept design for film.

As a very important aspect of her life, her scholarship program is reaching into her personal work and her business. In addition to collecting independant donations from individuals, organizations, and businesses, she is allowing 5% of all her fine arts sales to go toward the scholarship programs, of which the Santa Rosa Art Assocation is her main sponsor, with a $100 grant toward supplies each year. You can learn more about the program by going here, and learn about the SRAA here.