Meet Ashvinder (Ash) Rana | Artist (Ashthetic Art)

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashvinder (Ash) Rana and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashvinder (Ash), what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
Although I have no formal training in art, I was always “artsy” from my younger days. However, as destiny would have it, my journey took me into an Information Technology career path initially for more than 20 years now. It was only in 2016 that I started following my artistic passion as a hobby in the form of creating Zentangle® inspired artworks (I will refer to this as ZIA hereafter) after having been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis earlier that year. This artform ended up being quite therapeutic for me.

The ZIAs not only brought back my confidence in my artistic skills, but also made me realize my love for Abstraction. At the same time, it gave me freedom to express and explore. Being a self-taught artist, I explored various Abstract techniques such as Fluid Art, Neurographic Art, Mark Making, etc. All the abstract artworks gave me a sense of peace and calmness, just radiated positivity around me. That’s when I decided to take my passion to the next level and share it with others too and “Ashthetic Art” was born in May 2021.

Please tell us more about your art. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
Each of my art creations is unique and although I may be able to recreate some, no two artworks will exactly be the same ever. The primary medium I work with is Acrylic Paints alongside other Mixed Media. I would like to mention that the start to end process for creating each of my mini tile artworks is anywhere between 2-3 weeks. Canvas paintings timeline will differ based on the canvas size, varnish drying time, etc.

I love vibrant colors and my creations reflect my inner visualization and imagination. At this time, Ashthetic Art offers Spiritual or Abstract Artworks on Canvases or 4”x4”/6”x6” Unglazed Tiles (with Mounted Cardstock or Direct Painted), Coasters (Hand Painted Ceramic or Printed Artworks), Zentangle® Inspired Artworks (Thick Cardstock Mounted on pre-cut Matboard). My Spiritual Artworks are quite popular and are now Best Sellers on my website amongst returning customers and if I may add, they are becoming more of my Signature Collection. Each artwork is beautifully packaged and comes with a Certificate of Authenticity.

Getting to this point obviously was not an easy ride from the get-go since I was not formally trained in an art school, I had to do thorough research and learning on how to combine my primary medium that is Acrylics; correctly with the other media, be it the paints, the varnishes, the temperatures, the dos and the don’ts, etc. For the coasters line, for example, I had to test so many different topcoats for months at end to ensure that they are both heat and water resistant!!

Creating and Launching of my Online Store for Ashthetic Art in May 2021 was another challenge and a different beast altogether! Having always worked in the corporate world, getting into an e-commerce business was not my cup of tea. We (me nor my husband) had no clue of how to go about it. I mean making artworks was one thing but selling them was a different ballgame. From selecting and registering a trade name to applying and obtaining all required licenses, I had NO clue what to do. I learned all of this with the guidance of a couple of friends who unconditionally imparted their knowledge and guided me. I will forever be grateful to them.

Nevertheless, the day that Ashthetic Art went live, it was the most uplifting feeling of achievement!! I believe anyone who can create a piece of art is an artist and I encourage everyone to follow their passion and just believe in yourself!

Ashthetic Art’s mini artworks’ specially make for great home décor, individual and corporate gifts, wedding, or party favors too and makes the recipients feel special for the uniqueness of the gifts, each made lovingly by hand using only top-grade materials! Whether they are spiritual artwork or any other abstract artwork (hand painted tiles or canvases) they are all full of positive energy. I invite your readers to look through my gallery of artworks on my website or my social media handles on Facebook or Instagram.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Me and my husband are all about being local to our area. So, we would take them to local Sugar Hill, GA, and surrounding neighborhoods. Sugar Hill Downtown:
• Sugar Hill Distillery
• The Eagle Theatre
• Central City Tavern
• Sugar Hill Arts Gallery
• The Rooftop
Suwanee Town Center, Suwanee, GA
The Avalon, Alpharetta, GA
The Halcyon, Alpharetta, GA
Helen, GA.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Yes of course! Gratitude to The Almighty for all His Blessings always. And big shoutout to my husband Babbi Rana without whose help I would not have been able to accomplish and get Ashthetic Art started. He came up with the name “Ashthetic Art”. The Logo and Symbol for Ashthetic Art is designed by Houston, TX based, Ashita Sawhney of Ashita.Design. By the way, the colors, and patterns that you see in the logo and symbol background detail are utilized from one of my signature artworks!

Forever grateful to my dear family and friends without whose love, support, and encouragement, Ashthetic Art would not be 2+ years today!! YAY!

From my hands and heart to your homes…. Thank you for the opportunity to put this feature in your magazine to connect with your readers!

Website: https://ashtheticart.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashtheticart

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ashtheticart.ash

Image Credits
Ash Rana, Babbi Rana, Ashita Sawhney