We recently connected with Ashley De Vor and have shared our conversation below.
Ashley, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I embarked on my artistic journey at the age of 11, during an unexpected month-long stay at my grandparents’ dreary trailer in Bakersfield, CA. Convincing my initially reluctant grandpa to purchase a $12 Vanity Fair magazine, I delved into its pages, sketching diligently with pencil every day for months while eating Red Baron pizzas.
Upon reaching 18, like many millennials, I felt the societal pressure to immediately pursue higher education after high school. Opting to study fine art at Phoenix College, I soon found myself disillusioned with the conventional education system. After two years, I withdrew, as I found myself in the peculiar position of being asked to assist my teachers in instruction. It seemed nonsensical to accumulate significant debt for a degree when I was already adept at self-directed learning.
Turning my focus to honing specific skills, I apprenticed at a tattoo shop, where my distinctive style began to take shape. I furthered my education by participating in workshops with esteemed artists and devouring an extensive collection of art books that I studied regularly. With the advancement of technology and the proliferation of online resources, platforms like YouTube and Pinterest became my primary teachers, offering a wealth of knowledge without the burden of exorbitant tuition fees.
Over the years, I’ve cultivated a diverse skill set encompassing ink and pencil drawing, watercolor and acrylic painting, mural painting, tattoo design, ceramic painting, sewing, quilting, furniture restoration, web design, e-commerce, shirt design, clothing painting, upholstery, taxidermy art, digital illustration, character design, Photoshop, photography, sculpting, and an array of other eclectic pursuits. Surprisingly, many of these skills were developed in response to whimsical requests from clients. If you want it, I’ll try to do it whether I know fully how to or not.
Reflecting upon my journey, I realize now that there truly are no shortcuts to mastery. Experience has taught me that learning is an organic process, intricately tied to personal growth and development. What may have taken me hours to discern in the past now reveals itself more readily, a testament to the maturation of both skill and perception over time.
Amongst the myriad skills I’ve acquired, watercoloring and linework stand out as particularly indispensable. Like the framework of a tattoo, a solid outline is paramount for cohesiveness in any piece. Attention to detail, balance of positive and negative space, line widths, and the ability to step back and assess the work from a distance are just a few of the nuances that contribute to a successful piece.
Despite my proficiency, a significant obstacle looms in the form of social media algorithms. Once a platform for organic engagement, it has now become a battleground where visibility is contingent upon financial investment. The frustration of being unable to reach my own audience without resorting to paid promotion is a substantial setback, both creatively and financially. I can’t even find artists that I’ve been following for years without being bombarded by ads and suggestions that the Big Machine WANTS me to look at. It truly has been a frustrating learning experience as far as self-promotion goes.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I’d like to describe myself as a Jack of all trades. As a passionate and hard working artist that is always on the hunt for the next fun project, I greatly enjoy taking on new challenges in order to add to the various skill sets that I’ve developed over the years. I work primarily on a commissioned basis so I can work with clients individually in order to produce artworks to their exact specifications.
I got into the art industry professionally after deciding to leave the tattoo industry in my early 20s in order to pursue a career as a freelance artist. I wasn’t a fan of the toxic culture at the time and lets be honest, I don’t like having a boss either haha. I wanted to learn how to create anything and everything that piqued my interest while working from home at my own pace in my own cozy bubble. I now do commissioned work in ink and watercolor, primarily focusing on realistic portraits and highly detailed ink illustrations. I love anything and everything dark and spooky, so you’ll see a lot of pieces based on monsters from various culture’s mythos. I offer clients an array of services such as portrait work, mural painting, illustrations for shirt designs and print, custom painted jackets, and furniture restoration which includes wood repair, upholstery, and repaints. What sets me apart is my willingness to embrace new challenges, refusing to confine myself to a specific niche. Throughout the creative process, I maintain open communication with clients to ensure their vision comes to life.
The thing that I am most proud of is my ability to draw and paint quickly! With my years of experience, I am now able to get things like mockups, outlines, and final products out with greater efficiency than most others in my field. I always aim to resolve client concerns quickly and professionally in order to maintain a respectful and productive project environment. Furthermore, I’ve successfully carved out a distinctive presence within the local community, actively participating in a diverse array of art shows and interviews over the years. Collaborating with esteemed businesses throughout the valley has been both gratifying and mutually beneficial, and I take pride in showcasing and supporting these local establishments to my followers.
Behind the scenes, I operate as a one-woman show, managing every aspect of my creative enterprise with unwavering dedication. From running my own online store and managing orders to curating my web portfolio and maintaining multiple social media accounts, I handle it all. This journey has been a testament to my perseverance and passion, and I will always be committed to pushing my artistic boundaries and creating impactful art that resonates with audiences far and wide.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
The period that truly tested my resilience was undoubtedly the onset of the Covid pandemic. I’ve worked in the service industry for years and suddenly found myself without a job and isolated at home in full panic mode as the world shut down. Thankfully once I switched myself into survival mode I realized that I could create art in order to supplement my income. I had to think of something that would be in demand thus, face masks. I must have sewn over 200 face masks within a month. A family member of mine mentioned that hospital workers were in desperate need of masks, so for every two that I sold I donated one to Honor Health employees. This period of time also pushed me to get back into digital illustration and finally learn how to utilize programs like Procreate so I could offer custom non-tangible art pieces (since people were afraid to touch literally anything.) It really pushed my boundaries to the max and helped me realize that yes, I CAN support myself with my art if I try hard enough. It illuminated the importance of striking a balance between creating for fun and creating out of necessity. It’s easy to lose sight of this balance amidst the hustle of a day job and the constant burnout while trying to make art a full-time gig. It’s absolutely imperative that you take a step back and reflect on which of the two have treated you more kindly in moments of need.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
There are a number of things you can do. Number one is obviously to hire a local artist that you want to support instead of resorting to cheap off-shore artists you find on a google ad or AI. Real artists don’t have coupon codes for custom work, I’ll leave it at that. If you can’t afford that, then order some merch or prints from them. Can’t afford that either? That’s ok we’ve all been there! Just share their social media pages instead so they can gain some more followers. As I mentioned before, it’s really hard as an artist to show up on people’s feeds when you’re fighting against paid algorithms. Many people don’t realize that artists on platforms like Instagram would have to post at least twice a day just to get a fraction of their followers to even see their work. This creates so much stress as an artist to constantly feel the need to create something “popular” or “trendy” instead of taking the time to make something that they’re truly proud of and want to do. Not to mention the issue with how hard it is to maintain someone’s attention now while they’re being flooded with images and ads constantly. As an artist, you have to make time lapses and cut a 3 hour project down into 30 secs in order to appeal to the ever shortening attention spans of the public on social media and it’s exhausting. I’d also love to see more public art galleries as well. First Fridays downtown used to be a mecca for local artists, and now nearly every gallery that I’ve shown at is a bar or restaurant now. Art stands have been replaced with food trucks. We really can’t call it an art district any more if the first people you wedge out are the artists. They need spaces to show their art instead of being reduced to overpriced coffee shops and breweries.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.devorart.com
- Instagram: @ashleydevorart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/devor.art