Meet Ashton LeCraw | Painter & Art Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ashton LeCraw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ashton, what do you attribute your success to?
Consistency. During the Pandemic, I was stuck at home, like all of us were, and thought – what is the best way to utilize my time during lockdown? I began working from home and made myself paint at least 5 days out of the week. I also began to record myself painting and posting the timelapses on my Instagram account (@ashtonlecraw) several times a week. This allowed me to have a rhythm and a schedule that I could enforce using my social media as a means to hold myself accountable. I started doing this to keep myself sane during such stressful and heartbreaking times of 2020. After a few weeks and months, my client list began to grow and people began to reach out to me via Instagram to purchase my work. It is now a vital tool for me to gain clients and maintain relationships with past clients.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My paintings focus on women submerged in bodies of water. I started playing with this subject matter when I was at Skidmore College. When I was 18, sadly my best friend drowned and I started using painting as a means to health and work through my grief. From that point, I immersed myself in the study of light refraction in water and on the human form. After college, while living in New York, I started painting less and less until I wasn’t painting at all for several years. My biggest challenge was to find the motivation and make mental space for painting to be a part of my life again. I began making work after I moved to Los Angeles, but it wasn’t until the Pandemic did I dedicate my time to being a full time artist. There is always a silver lining no matter if it’s your subject matter, relocating, or being stuck home during a global pandemic.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As I haven’t really lived in Atlanta since I was 15 other than a year in Pandemic, I haven’t had the opportunity to re-explore the city. There are some staples, like Chops Lobster Bar in Buckhead has the best lobster tail in the city (though my favorite thing to order is the seared tuna with mashed potatoes and port wine demi glaze), Bones, and Bistro Niko to name a few. I am also a HUGE Ben & Jerry’s fan so I would definitely venture to the B & J’s on the beltline for some 7 Layer Coconut Bar ice cream in a cone. I enjoy hiking the Sweetwater Creek trails and Kennesaw mountain. Other than that I need to rediscover Atlanta myself!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give this shoutout to my family in Atlanta as well as a few friends from college who kept me sane during this pandemic. Without the love and support of my family & friends I would not be where I am today. I am grateful that I got ‘stuck’ in Atlanta during quarantine as I was meant to move back to New York City in March, for the simple reason that I knew my family was close by and we were all in this together. I would also love to give a shoutout to my college painting professor, Joanne Vella who always kicked my butt and inspired me to be better.

Website: https://www.ashtonlecraw.com/

Instagram: @ashtonlecraw

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashtonlecraw/

Image Credits
Ashton LeCraw