Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashton Allen.
Ashton, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
After moving to Los Angeles in 2002, I practiced art and worked different jobs for five years. At the age of twenty-three, I decided to go back to college. I fully immersed myself in education; taking studio classes, creative writing, art history, women’s studies and more. Upon being accepted to U.C.L.A. as a transfer student, I made a last minute decision to change my major from Fine Art to Women’s Studies, as it allowed me to study in a variety of departments.
I realized, after taking classes such as creative writing, women in film, and the sociology of sex and gender, that I wanted a complex and rich education in addition to my art making. My education deeply influenced and inspired my artistic vision, while also sparking my desire to teach.
I flourished as part of this Liberal Arts community, knowing my next step would be a Master of Fine Arts. I have since completed the graduate fine arts program at Otis. I continue my practice out of my garage studio in Jefferson Park, Los Angeles.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The hardest part has been dedicating time to my practice and treating it with the same reverence I did in grad school.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
Can a girlie painting be badass? Yes, it can. I know because I make them. My art practice stems from an inner quest, complex personal history and my commitment to feminist ideals. I question what a painting can be by pushing against tradition and setting my own rules.
My work investigates symbols of femininity while engaging and challenging the history of painting. The pieces subtly hover over craft, kitsch and the decorative, yet are approached with formal depth and reverence. My practice is a continual exploration of material– I force an understanding through manipulation, pushing each element beyond itself.
Materials such as glitter and mylar are used to create a sense of attraction and distancing simultaneously; illusions of flatness combined with tactile qualities create optical interventions at every viewing distance. I want my work to cross boundaries and ask questions.
I am interested in the challenge of using extreme artificially it to evoke a visceral response. I say to myself, “today, you will make mylar majestic.”
Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Strength.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ashtonallenart.com
- Email: [email protected]
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