We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ashlee Trcka a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Ashlee , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
I’ve always been a risk taker and embraced life with positivity! Being a risk taker means also being “afraid” yet embracing that feeling of fear and turning it into something beautiful. Fear is what limits us and is our bodies natural response to the unknown. I like to challenge myself by pushing through those unsettling feelings.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
ASHLEE TRCKA Short Bio
B. 1983 Ashlee is an International award-winning impressionist oil painter. She has exhibited work in numerous international exhibitions and has been represented by galleries in the United States, Canada and Europe selling her paintings worldwide. Trcka’s artwork depicts various facets of the human experience through fluid brushstrokes. She was trained at Scottsdale Artists’ School in Arizona on a scholarship, Memorial University – St. John’s in Canada, Angel Academy of Art in Italy and the Art Students League of Denver under Ron Hicks, Kim English and Quang Ho. You can also see her work in various magazines including American Art Collector Magazine, Southwest Art Magazine and several books published in Europe. Ashlee resides in Southern, Alberta Canada with her husband and three young children. She is a board member of the Medicine Hat Autism Society in her local community and arts instructor at the prominent Esplanade Arts and Heritage Centre.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I began painting as an adult in my mid 20’s and fell in love with the medium “oil” and the subject of “figures”. I love to paint people. When painting a portrait it’s about the mood, the textures, the light hitting a soft facial feature. People are beautiful. Prior to painting I was a figure skater and enjoyed the movement in our bodies, fluid lines and elegant posture. Some of the body movement learned in figure skating has translated unto the canvas in my figurative w
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
I think the biggest challenge as a woman artist is making space and commitment to my art. As a wife, military spouse, mother of young children, it’s not always easy to commit my time and practice to my artwork. It’s finding that balance and juggling my time accordingly. That a learned skill overtime!
My advice to new artists and anyone looking to began painting is; just paint. 🎨 It’s a joyous practice full of excitement and learning. It’ll take you on a journey that is only meant for you and shape who you are as a human being. It’s an extraordinary gift.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.ashleetrcka.com/
