Ashley’s formal training as an illustrator has guided her painting toward representational subject matter. Early on in her career, she was commissioned to paint portraits (of both two and four-legged subjects) and architectural renderings for private individuals. She has also created work for corporate and nonprofit clients such as Oxfam America and the manufacturer of Jack Daniels.

While earning her master’s in art business at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art London, Ashley was heavily influenced by artists such as William Morris and the vast collections of textile arts housed in British institutions including the Victoria & Albert Museum. Her recent work is a marriage of her technical training and experience in painting the illusion of three-dimensional form with her love of two-dimensional pattern.

She now lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she paints in an old schoolhouse retrofitted with artists’ studios. She also works with the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council and is the Vice President of the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators.

Read more about Ashley’s experience on her LinkedIn profile.

In the media:

“Burn Your Resume, Be An Artist,” by Lisa Gates, 2010

“Emerging Artist Paints With A Purpose,” by Anna Kramer, 2008

“Climate Change on Canvas,” by Anna Kramer, 2008

“The Painting Journalist: Ashley Cecil,” by Marion Boddy-Evans, 2007