Sally-Anne Ashley

Collections of marks, patterns and a personal visual language are intuitively woven into my paintings. They can symbolise life experiences or elements of my local landscape – both generally relatable as I explore overarching themes such as nature, relationships and the self.

I work with a limited palette of water-based paints, mark making and collage materials as well as textiles whilst I build the surface in layers to allow the ‘storylines’ from previous iterations to show through. This offers a sense of depth and is also a metaphor for accepting and appreciating our own histories. I enjoy the contrasts of this language, from loose and gestural marks to meditative and repetitive, mismatched, it all conveys a quiet and harmonised, intricate chaos.