We recently connected with Ashley Guzman and have shared our conversation below.

Ashley, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

One of the most meaningful projects I’ve worked on was a painting titled Abuelito. It’s a portrait of my grandpa in front of his home in Mexico. This was my most ambitious project yet, as it was the largest painting I’ve ever worked on, and I had to piece the composition together from different references. The image of my grandfather seated in front of his home is even more special for my family members who aren’t able to travel to Mexico. Behind him are birds of paradise flowers that my late grandmother would take care of, along with the other flowers in her garden. Not only does this piece represent the memories I hold of my grandpa, but of my grandma as well.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a 19-year-old queer Latina artist, and I currenly attend the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, where I am pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Product Design. I have a large background in painting and still consider it to be a big part of my practice. I mainly work with oils and acrylics but I also like to experiement with other media, such as textiles and collage. I first got into art in middle school, I loved to draw with color pencils and started to get into portraiture at that time. When I got to AP drawing in highschool I was exploring themes of heritage and family, and I think that sort of set a foundation for what my art is dealing with up to this point. For me, painting seemed like the next medium to take on after drawing, because I wanted to see how realistic I could make my work. I’m very interested in looking at culture and my experiences as a child of immigrants, and how these shape my identity and relationships with others. Much of my work is portraiture as its about family and representation. I love to make art about the memories I hold as well as connections between people.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve decided to pivot in school quite recently, earlier this year I decided to change majors. Going into art school I was sure I wanted to study fine art and do painting, but after three semesters I realized it wasn’t for me. The past year I have had several moments of doubt and saw that I didn’t have as much passion as my peers for the craft. I felt a lot of discouragement and knew it would not be sustainable to become a fine artist. However, I knew that I still have a strong desire to create that will never go away. I turned to product design as someone whose brain is very technical and loves to problem solve. I love making things and enjoy that there is so much variety within the program. Although I’m not a painting major anymore, I know I don’t have to leave it completely and can still find enjoyment in it.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, I believe it’s seeing improvement either in technical skill or the aesthetic quality of my work. I love feeling more confident with a medium and seeing how much progress I’ve made compared to past projects. It’s also rewarding to see how my style progresses as I try new things.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: achishuarachis