We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Aubrey Ashburn. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Aubrey below.
Hi Aubrey, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
In my previous career, I wielded my creative energy into the world of video game music, co-writing and performing on many AAA title soundtracks, and performing with live orchestra. In 2014, I was asked by my dear friend and talented composer, Julia Marie Newmann, to donate my singing voice on a Sheldrick Wildlife Trust documentary about the elephant poaching crisis. After hearing about her experience visiting the orphaned elephants in Kenya, I was struck by an immediate call to action, to play a role in helping these precious creatures persevere. I gladly gave my voice to many short “rescue” films and documentaries following that, and this led me on a journey to Africa to visit them in person, and witness them in the wild.
From those experiences, came a deeper urge to start painting the elephants, which energetically felt like I was piecing them back together and in essence healing them. A powerful awareness formed around me after the first piece was complete, it was one million art babies whispering to be born…..and so in 2016, I launched my fine art career and was chosen as the Emerging Artist of the Jackson Hole Art Fair. My work has since been represented by art gallery’s in New York, Jackson Hole, WY, San Diego, and Los Olivos, CA. I am now based in Santa Ynez, California and feature my work at juried fine art shows such as Mill Valley, Los Altos and San Diego, as well as my gallery in Solvang, California.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
In the context of an overly materialistic culture, I’ve found that what provides the most joy and comfort, is to surround myself with meaning. A Meaningful purpose, Meaningful people, and Meaningful things, other than basic needs of course! At Aubrey Ashburn Fine Art, I feel fortunate to fuse creative risk taking with my passion for preserving our natural world, and the flora & fauna within it. I use art as a highlighter to evoke powerful feelings, flood the senses with beauty, and provide a feast for the eyes. One unique characteristic of my abstract realism style, is my use of color and the way I combine earth tones with intense high chroma hues, and working strictly in oils, yields the most rich & luscious qualities. I’ve been a worshiper of color since I was a child and have been known to have three hour long conversations about it. You’ll also find me experimenting with my other love, delicate and complex patterns.
In September of 2023, I opened an Art Gallery in downtown Solvang, California, in the Crawford Family Wines tasting room, where people can view original paintings and prints. In collaboration with the owners, Wendy & Mark Horvath, I recently completed a painting titled “Chaba”, an Asian orphaned baby elephant from Thailand, that will be featured on their Low Tide wine label in early 2025. A portion of the wine sales will go to The Elephant Nature Park to support their cause in elephant rescue and rehabilitation. My work can also be seen in Los Olivos, California at the Future Perfect tasting room, where my vibrant style bodes well with wine maker/owner Sunshine Doench’s colorful decor & merchandise flare.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
One important skill I’ve developed along the way, is turning up the volume on my inner knowing. As an idea, or a pathway unfold before me, noticing whether it lights me up or feels forced and draining. I use this tool to guide me in where to put my efforts and especially whether to pursue an artistic concept, and I ride that feeling through the arc of creation. It’s a priceless barometer.
Another valuable quality I give credit to, is having the courage to say Yes. The willingness to take big risks, and commit completely, like an athlete giving their all. I am by nature highly competitive, and in this context, I am competing with myself in creating something that’s in line with my highest potential. That is my motivator.
One last quality I’ll mention, is having the desire to connect, connect with myself, as well as with others. Creativity is a process of birthing, not only is it an experience for me, but it brings something into existence that is meant to be shared. There is a letting go, so that each painting can go on to have a life of it’s own.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
My biggest area of growth this past year, has been improving my time management skills. For years it has baffled me as to how to organize my time in juggling the mundane duties of life, and stepping into the creative flow. How does one do this? I’ve tried every which way including following my bliss, to waiting for the feeling to strike. The only success I’ve had at managing a realistic timeline, is to organize the day into sections, whether I feel like it or not. After getting in a workout, I attack the to do list first, so I can show up at the easel with a clear head. I’ve always loved the quote, “It is easier to act your way into a feeling, than to feel your way into an action.”
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aubreyashburnfineart.com
- Instagram: @aubreyashburnfineart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aubreyashburnfineart/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aubreyashburnfineart266/featured?app=desktop
Image Credits
Professional photos by Kelly Campbell
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