Monday, December 14, 2009

Thank you for your business!

Ashley's Artistry is now closed for business. It has been an honor painting for you, and I pray that every piece I've painted is blessing your home in some way.

Thank you for your support and affirmation of my art!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Date Adjustment for Closing

Hi everyone :)
This probably won't make any difference to most people, but I'm going to be closing my business sooner than I thought. Don't worry, I'm not having a full-blown meltdown, but I'm completely and totally booked with my time, and I don't feel like I have any room to breathe. I need to breathe.

Saturday, December 12th will be the last day for any Christmas AND Ashley's Artistry orders. I need for my Christmas time to be stress-free and peaceful, and this will make that happen.

I'm so sorry if this makes you scramble or stressed about ordering something. But with my husband's prompting, I believe that moving my closing date up will really help my state of mind.

Again, I've loved painting for you, and I do apologize if this is inconvenient. But hopefully you understand!

Thursday, December 3, 2009

It's Time.

Hi everyone :)

This is something I've been thinking about for awhile now. For many reasons, it's time for me to stop painting as a business.

This isn't life-changing news, and nothing weird has happened. I just have way, way too much on my plate. Evy is getting to an age where she's nearly mobile, and she just can't sit in the bouncy seat while I paint anymore. My house, husband, time with the Lord, baby, etc. etc. etc. need my attention. I really desire to sit and enjoy my family in the evenings, instead of painting like I have to do sometimes.

We'll also be putting our house on the market, packing, and moving in the next 6-7 months or so, and the thought of that alone is overwhelming. I need for these last few months here to be as stress-free and enjoyable as possible.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I've had traffic pouring in and I'm painting 10 canvases a week. It's actually pretty manageable. But combined with the other things that I do, it's something I need to let go. I really do have a peace that this is the time.

It still blows me away that people would actually want to buy my artwork. I'll let you in on a little secret: I have terrible insecurities when it comes to my painting. When I start a new one, I am terrified that the person I'm painting for will hate it. That's why I rarely give my paintings as gifts. I am convinced that the person will inwardly groan and say "Oh, great. A painting." The whole reason I started this business was to help contribute to my grandfather's ministry, Ventures for Christ. Kurt and I will soon be in a position to where we can freely contribute to Ventures without me painting. Please understand me: I have loved painting for you. I'm honored to paint for you! But so many factors are telling me it's time to stop.

So, with that said, here's the deal: I will still take Christmas orders until Monday, December 7th. I will take regular canvas orders until January 15th, and then I will no longer take any new orders. I feel comfortable with that date, and it will be a good time to end.

I don't know if I will start painting again as a business--you never know! The plan right now is that I will put a few pieces for sale in Bloom, a boutique in Cape Girardeau. That way I can still have the creative outlet of painting, but it will be when I feel like it and I can paint any design I think up. My friend Michaelyn manages the store, and we've talked about it here and there. So we shall see!

Obviously, if you reallyreallyreally want a canvas in the future and my style suits you, feel free to email me. I'm not going into hibernation! :) But officially, my business will be closed after January 15th.

Thank you for affirming me and my work!

xoxo,
Ashley

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Sparkly Star



I created this for my friend Julie, and I LOVE how it turned out! This is a 12x12 square wrapped canvas.

First Dance...

This is a line from the song that this couple danced to for their first dance at their wedding reception. Isn't that a neat idea?!

Size: 16x20 wrapped canvas

For a Bon Jovi Fan....

More Happy Ornaments :)



For 3 ornaments, an 8x10 wrapped canvas can be used. For larger ornaments, or if you need four or more, the size needs to be at least an 11x14.

Aren't they cheery?!

Monday, November 23, 2009

Christmas Orders

Hi everyone :)

Christmas is very quickly approaching, and I've been painting a lot lately! In order to make sure that you get your canvases in time and I get some free time during the holidays, I'm asking that all Christmas orders be made no later than Monday, December 7th. Please only place an order right now if you're needing it by Christmas or for a Christmas gift.

Thank you for understanding, and I so appreciate your business. It means so much to me that you would want to give a piece of my art to someone, or have it in your home. I'm really honored by that!

Happy Thanksgiving this week!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Very Special Ornaments

I've been painting several Christmas canvases for my sweet friend Julie, and here's one of them! This is an 11x14 wrapped canvas with gold edging. Of course, the colors can be changed to match any room or decorating theme.


Merry Christmas, Julie--lots of love!

Green Elephant Announcement

This is a hospital/nursery announcement hanger that has a monogram at the top!


Friday, November 13, 2009

Jeremiah in Gray

I LOVE the colors of this Jeremiah canvas! Sadie's mom, Lindsay, sent me a picture of the nursery and wanted a simple canvas to match, that would also be age appropriate as Sadie gets older. The nursery colors are yellow, black, and white, and it has a lamb theme--super cute!




I decided to do a plain white background with gray polka dots. I adore the color gray. I justloveit. And honestly, gray matches everything. Neutrals, brights, boy, girl, baby, college. Gray matches.



I was so happy to do this canvas for little Sadie (who is just adorable)!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Flowers for Harper

Emily from Oklahoma picked out the perfect bedding for Harper, the little girl she's expecting. However, the "art" that came with it to hang on the wall was in fabric form, and Emily asked if I could paint the flower designs on canvas. Of course! :)


The colors didn't really photograph that well...it's a closer match than it looks!

Prayers Answered

A customer ordered this as a gift for her sister in law who is expecting a little boy in December. They waited a long time for the blessing of a child, and today, when I completed the painting, Kimmie told me that her sister-in-law had just been put on bedrest. So hopefully this will be an encouragement to them as they wait for little Connor t get here!

This is an 11x14 wrapped canvas, and the nursery is a sports theme. The colors are navy, deep red, hunter green, and a neutral creamy color. Brown writing is boyish and looks great with these colors. Here it is!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Holiday Mini Canvases!

Here are some mini Christmas canvases that I recently painted. These were not a custom order, so they're currently for sale (meaning no wait time!). These are flat 5x7 canvases. They would look cute in a small easel, hung by a ribbon hanger (which I can add) or framed, like I show you below. These are perfect and easy for the holidays because once the season is over, you can just put your regular year-round pictures back in their frames!





Here are how they look framed (this is for example purposes only). If words are cut off, using a less "chunky" frame should solve the problem.


Mini 5x7's are $10, and I will start offering these for letter initials, short verses, and names as well. Examples will come soon!

Merry Christmas!

Sibling Jeremiahs

These are 11x14's painted for a brother and sister. This is a good example of how I match bedding. Their sweet mom emailed me the pictures of the bedding sets (adorable from Pottery Barn Kids) and I chose the colors to match.





Saturday, October 17, 2009

11x14 Jeremiah Monogram

This combines three great things--a great size (11x14), Jeremiah 29:11 (a very popular verse that I paint) and a monogram (everyone loves a monogram!)!! This was ordered for a nursery that has a color scheme of black, white, and magenta, which I think is super cool!


Large Jeremiah Canvas

This Jeremiah canvas is 30"x40". It might seem like a big size, but on a wall by itself it's actually a very good proportion. I was silly and forgot to take a picture before I shipped, so Sharon was nice enough to send me a picture once it was done :)

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Welcome, Kelly's Tour Friends!

Hi everyone :)

If you're visiting from Kelly's Tour, or anywhere else, welcome! I paint custom canvases for nurseries, childrens' rooms, home decor, and the holidays. I can paint just about anything, so if you don't see something you like or need, ask anyway!

Be sure to visit my personal blog if you're interested.

Happy Browsing!

Monday, October 12, 2009

Jungle Birth Announcement

I made this birth announcement canvas for my husband's cousin, who is expecting little Asher around Christmastime! I added store-bought animals* for a little extra something, since his nursery theme is the jungle. This can be used in the hospital and then in the nursery :)


*Animal figures are subject to availability.



Thursday, September 17, 2009

The King is Born

If you look closely, you'll see a gold crown in the background of this piece. This features a line from the song "What Child Is This?", one of my favorite Christmas songs.

This is an 8x10 wrapped canvas and this particular one is for sale for $20. Email me if you're interested!


Contact me with any orders/ideas for Christmas canvases. It's my favorite time of year, when we start preparing for the holiday season.


Merry Christmas!



O, Christmas Tree!

As promised, here are the first Christmas canvases of the season! This one is a bright green Christmas tree over a red background with metallic overlay. The top says Merry Christmas! :o) This is an 8x10 flat, so it's perfect for putting in a pretty frame for the holidays, and then you can take it out after the season's over.

This canvas is for sale for $15, so email me if you're interested!


Of course I can paint any kind of holiday canvas you'd like, but these are just some ideas to get started.

Merry Christmas!

Addendum to Disclaimer and Policies

I need to add this to my Disclaimer and Policies:

I understand that I do not have the copyright on canvas painting. Many people paint and sell their work. However, I do want to claim copyright on my designs. Please do not copy any of my designs or the nature of the design and then sell them. I come up with original pieces and have never copied another artists' work, and I ask that you do the same. It's hurtful and disrespectful to me as a creative person to claim an idea or design as your own.

Please feel free to show my work on your blog, etc. but I ask that you give me credit and also link back to this website.

Thank you!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Christmas Canvases!

Hi everyone!

I am excited that Christmas is just around the corner, and so I'm going to start painting my Christmas canvases! I will have some examples to post soon. As with my other artwork, I can paint whatever you specify. These would be great for Christmas decorations and make great gifts.

Order now and get a head start!

Stay tuned for some pictures :o)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Orange and Khaki Cuteness

I wish I could see this cutie's dimples! His mom specifically ordered those sweet words to go at the top, and then his birth details at the bottom. What a cute color scheme!


Bright Jeremiah Canvas

This is for a bright and cheery nursery, and we added a chocolate brown ribbon hanger.


Pink and Green Princess!

This was painted for a beautiful little girl with her monogram in the middle!


Ashley's Artistry Disclaimer & Policies

Hi, everyone!

Just to cover my bases, I want to go ahead and put up a disclaimer for my artwork, as well as ordering policies. I have not had any problems with selling my art, so I think this is a great time to cover these things. It's NOT the result of any issues. No biggie, I just want to have them written down.

Ashley's Artistry Disclaimer

-Color matching is not guaranteed. Please know that I will do my absolute best to clarify with you what color scheme you'd like, and emailing me pictures of bedding, rooms, etc. is a great help. If you're especially concerned about a piece matching, please mail me a swatch of paint and/or bedding fabric. However, I still can't guarantee a perfect color match---but I'll get super close! :o)

-Due to the nature of artwork, I can't guarantee that one piece of art will exactly match another. For example, if you see a piece of work on this website, my Etsy shop, or a Facebook album and want to order one just like it, it will vary slightly. That's the beauty of painting; it's a free-flowing thing and you don't get the same results twice. Again, know that I will do my very best to re-create something you've seen!

-Speaking of art being free-flowing, sometimes handwriting and/or other shapes I paint might look "crooked" or not ruler-straight. I tend to have a whimsical, "quick" style, and unless you specify that you'd like a certain type of font (by looking at my previous work or sending me an example), I'm going to assume that my style of handwriting/painting works for you. It's always my goal for a piece to look symmetrical, straight, and spaced correctly, but my style of art is not necessarily measured down to the tiniest half inch :o)


***I understand that I do not have the copyright on canvas painting. Many people paint and sell their work. However, I do want to claim copyright on my designs. Please do not copy any of my designs or the nature of the design and then sell them. I come up with original pieces and have never copied another artists' work, and I ask that you do the same. It's hurtful and disrespectful to me as a creative person to claim an idea or design as your own.

Please feel free to show my work on your blog, etc. but I ask that you give me credit and also link back to this website.***


Ashley's Artistry Policies


-I take orders by email, and you can contact me at ashley61985@gmail.com. There's a reason for this! I want to have a written record of everything we've discussed, and it's great for me to look back and refer to our emails when I'm painting.

-My turn-around time for ordering will vary. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and my husband and little girl are my first priorities. However, the trend has been that unless I'm out of town or sick, an order usually takes 1-2 weeks, start-to-finish. Again, that is NOT a guarantee, but it's been the usual timetable.

-When you contact me, tell me what size you're thinking, what designs of mine you like, what your color scheme is, etc. Any information you can give me is helpful! Where it will hang, what the wall color is, what colors you hate, etc. You are more than welcome to send me anything you think will help me make a great canvas for you. However, as I state in my disclaimer, color matching is not guaranteed.

-If I need to consult you during the painting process, I will email you a picture and we'll discuss the direction we need to go from there.

-Due to the custom nature of my artwork, no returns, exchanges or refunds. I'm sorry!

-You may pay either when you order or when I ship. Paypal is preferred, but let me know if you need to pay with a check.

Thank you so much for your business! It's a blessing to serve you!


Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Glamour Canvas!

I painted this canvas for my sister's apartment at college. It's different from what I normally do, and I had fun painting it! :o)


Monday, September 7, 2009

Artsy Makeover!

What do you think of the new look!? Thanks to Leslie, I think it looks awesome! Be sure to grab my new button. There were some technical difficulties with my old one, and that problem is now solved. I have some new things to show you soon, so stay tuned!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Girly Monogram & Scripture

This is a 16x20 that combines a monogram and Jeremiah 29:11. The nursery colors for this little girl will be brown and pink with khaki walls, so I added in some champagne/neutral-colored polka dots in the background. This is a perfect size for artwork that will be hanging by itself (over a changing table, crib, etc.). I love all things monogrammed!

A Happy Blessing

These canvases were ordered for children, and they are such sweet reminders of how much they're loved.

Three of them feature the verses Numbers 8:25-26, and one is Psalm 62:5-6.

Hospital Hanger

This was painted to match nursery bedding, which featured baby elephants. I love the color scheme, and this will make a great keepsake!