ABOUT
Ashley has been creating stories, poems, and drawings since childhood. Her first recognition came at age 17 when she received a partial scholarship for her creative writing submission to the University of Arizona. Since then, she has built a varied career in the arts, including work as a professional ballet and modern dancer, choreographer, and graphic designer. She was awarded the Buffalo Exchange Arts Award for Best Emerging Artist, along with other scholarships and honors throughout her diverse education and career. She spent 10 years working at the University of Arizona College of Fine Arts, where she helped rebrand and modernize all four schools within the college.
After becoming a mother, she retired from dance and left her graphic design job. During the COVID pandemic, she started a small furniture repair and building business to support herself and her daughter, becoming a self-taught woodworker. Through her new work, she met her now-husband, who is a world-renowned acoustic guitar builder and fellow woodworker, and they had a son in 2023. Together, they run woodworking businesses and built their shop and home in the rural desert of Marana, Arizona. Their home and the surrounding land inspire Ashley’s books, poems, and illustrations. The ancient Hohokam people once inhabited this region, and you can find countless artifacts of their presence. The petroglyphs on the canyon rocks often appear in Ashley’s drawings, along with other Native symbols.
Her passion for creative writing and illustration has come full circle as a mother of two young children. She now creates stories inspired by the endless mystery, beauty, and resilience of the Sonoran Desert and beyond.
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photo by Taylor Noel Photography
