We recently connected with Ashton Howard and have shared our conversation below.

Ashton, appreciate you joining us today. Coming up with the idea is so exciting, but then comes the hard part – executing. Too often the media ignores the execution part and goes from idea to success, skipping over the nitty, gritty details of executing in the early days. We think that’s a disservice both to the entrepreneurs who built something amazing as well as the public who isn’t getting a realistic picture of what it takes to succeed. So, we’d really appreciate if you could open up about your execution story – how did you go from idea to execution?

In 2001 I spent the summer in Cardiff Reef Encinitas CA as a surf camp instructor. I was teaching young kids anywhere from 10 to 16 years old daily on how to surf, cooking meals, and just spending time outdoors doing fun stuff. We all lived in several 8 man tents in a dusty state park right off PCH Hwy 1. As the weeks went on and turned into months I discovered a way to pass some of my artistic time and found a really enjoyable way of creating art on the smooth rocks that lined the southern California Shores. I would spend hours detailing little seascapes and landscapes on these rocks that were no bigger than the palm of your hand. The bright acrylic colors baking under the California sun looked like little colorful candies as they dried on the state park picnic tables. I was not even offering them for sale but campers and others quickly started buying these as keepsakes or souvenirs from their trip. This little fun way of making art sparked an idea in my head of how I could stay in California and try to earn a living as an artist. When the summer ended I returned to Florida to pack a few more clothes and art supplies and I moved right back to San Clemente California. I was sleeping on Terry Senate‘s surf shop floor in SC until I could find an apartment. Within a month I had found a place and had become a street Artist in Laguna Beach selling my painted rocks for $20 each. Every hand painted rock had my website written in permanent marker on the back which eventually led to commissions and murals over the next year or two. I landed my first major art gallery which took four paintings on consignment in a Beverly Hills location and they all sold within the first two weeks. That was truly the start of my career as a professional artist and that gallery owner put me into other locations which landed me three art galleries representing my paintings. The story goes on as I continue to create artwork daily and seek more representation in California and other tourist cities throughout the United States. I was attending international art expos in New York and was an artist under the Wyland gallery chain in Hawaii Las Vegas Lake Tahoe and Key West for many years. I am now 43 years old and represented by the largest art gallery in the entire world Park West gallery. My artwork is represented every week at private art auctions and sold on cruise ships around the world. I don’t know what’s next but I’m still just a surfer and adventure seeker that loves the outdoors and sharing my view of the world on canvas. I will always create art and express my passion for the things that make my heart pump- Gallery or No Gallery.

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 was born and raised on the gulf coast of Florida growing up as a beach boy with my 2 brothers and all our friends. I attribute the beginnings of my love for nature and the outdoors to being an 80s kid in this small beach side community. We didn’t have phones or computers- we had fishing poles, surfboards, and sunlight. I have always been into board sports which is why my love for the ocean is so deep. Exploring California in my early 20s give me a deep respect for the mountains and one of my many other passions is snowboarding. The mountain and the wave are two continual subjects in my work.

I am a traditional painter on canvas using acrylic paints and mediums. I have experimented in almost every medium over the past 25 years and use many of the techniques I discovered through trial and error in my paintings. Big splashes and movements of colors create abstract backgrounds as my first base layers. I always strive to use a very definitive light source when creating the details in my paintings. When I start a new collection of paintings I usually create 4-5 small studies in full color about 12×12 size canvases. I then move on to larger sizes and end up creating about 30 pieces in a collection. Most of my original paintings are sold at auction through Park West Gallery along with select limited edition prints that have been published. For the past 20 years I have self published my own artwork and that is sold online through my website and a variety of other products.

Most importantly I keep a balance of work and play in my life. I wouldn’t be able to create the artwork that I love so much without the experiences that inspire them. So many beautiful things to seek and discover on this earth and I’m gonna give it my best shot!

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

When Facebook First started I immediately created a page to share photos of fun adventures and artwork. It was so cool to be able to post what you were doing and for me an artist what I was working on. Soon after Facebook offered a business page and I started doing free art giveaways to build that page. Long before it’s regulations I was asking friends and fans to like my posts and share it and eventually partnered with much larger business pages that would share my giveaways in exchange for a free piece of art. One of these pages had several hundred thousand fans and it built my business page very rapidly. This allowed me to build a very large email marketing list.

Can you open up about a time when you had a really close call with the business?

I think every artist that is pursuing a full-time career knows that it is an extreme struggle. My story may sound like something from a book but up until about five years ago every chapter has had its financial struggles. There is no easy way to do it, there is just simply an unending perseverance to actually do it. I’ve had to dip into savings, filed several extensions on paying taxes, sold paintings for 90% off, and even taught myself graphic design so I could become a designer in several other areas outside of my Gallery world. Drove a 1997 jeep until 2014 and now I still drive a 2005 Toyota Tundra. I’d do anything to keep my dream alive. My parents taught me to live beneath my means and know that in the end all your taking with you is the love in your heart and memories you made!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.ashtonhoward.com
• Instagram: @ah_howard
• Facebook: Ashton Howard Fine Art

Image Credits
Me