Sally-Anne Ashley - Art community

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A supportive creative space for artists led by Sally-Anne Ashley 🌿

THE ARTHOUSE is a monthly membership offering community, structure and shared studio time 🏭

CREATIVE SHIFT is my annual in-depth course for artists 💫

23/08/2025

The pile of doom…
No wait - let’s call it the pile of opportunity ✨

I’ve made a promise to myself: no new art materials until I use what I already have.
That includes this stack of boards, quietly waiting, full of potential.

Gesso will be my friend here. A fresh layer, a fresh start… and we'll go again 😊

Because really, nothing’s wasted. Not the materials, not the time, not the pieces that didn’t work out. It’s all part of the process, all part of learning.

Are your unfinished piles as tall as mine?

22/08/2025

What does it looks like when things start to come together? 🌿🌿

When our ideas become visible in notes, colours, sketches, shapes, bits of fabric and little drawings, only legible to us - when what's in front of you feels as though you're looking in the mirror - when those treasures looking back, can only be yours...

That's what it looks like, and it feels great!

What does your work reflect back to you? Does it feel familiar, or like a stranger?

21/08/2025

I have a thing for plants, big ones, small ones - I love them all and have many around my studio. The intricacies of the leaf shapes and nuanced colours catch my attention - I love to touch them too 😅

"To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow" Audrey Hepburn

They're wonderful sign of hope 🌿🌿

Are you a plant lover like me? What's your favourite? I'm not great with the names, but I'll look it up! 🪴

20/08/2025

I came across this quote in one of my playbooks the other day:

"A drawing is a one-night stand, a painting is a relationship."
I can't remember where I heard this - I just knew I needed to write it down (Although, I think a drawing is just as valuable!)

It stopped me. Because now, years later, I’m exploring these same themes - of relationship and connection - it was somehow reaffirming to see the words.

That’s the power of a pause 💫💫

I was only flicking back through the book for a moment, it reminded how certain threads run through our work, we just don't always notice them.

When do you tend to notice the patterns in your work? Are they obvious?

19/08/2025

This shape has been with me for a long time ✨✨

I’ve painted it, stitched it, printed it, repeated it, made it with clay, broken it apart and put it back together again. It’s a bit wonky. Imperfect. But it holds something - and it holds me.

That sense of being held… that’s what gives this shape its value in my work. It wasn't always there, but it didn’t come from nowhere, I think I know when it arrived it's developed over time, from play, from exploration and from reflection, from asking questions such as:

Why do I keep making this mark?
What does it mean to me?

Getting to know ourselves and our work is super exciting (IMO ☺️)

How about you? What questions do you ask yourself and your work? I'd love to know!

18/08/2025

My collage boxes are like old friends 🪴

It doesn’t matter how long I’ve been away - when I return, we pick up the conversation where we left off, so lovely and familiar.

Some of these scraps bring memories: where I was when I found that paper, the piece of packaging I couldn’t throw away.
A slice of a painting that never sold, now finding its place in the limelight again.

How long do you keep your collage pieces for? Like loyal old friends - or do you prefer a fresh start every now and then?

15/08/2025

Sometimes I have this mad, crazy energy inside - and the impulse to move. There's no real plan, I just grab the charcoal and go.

It’s quick, it’s messy, it’s intuitive.

At first, the marks are light, but as I work through the pile of paper, the movements get bolder. the charcoal gets heavier.
I’m pushing, pulling. smudging, tapping with my fingers and blackened hands, fingerprints everywhere.

My energy wanes, and it's time to stop. The wall is full - like a little story of my energy in that moment.
It’s a way of marking time.

This kind of work doesn’t always lead to finished pieces.
But it always leads to something, energy, awareness, freedom.

When was the last time you followed an impulse instead of aiming for perfection? 🌈🌈

14/08/2025

Looking at these two pieces, one from years ago (left), one more recent, I can see just how far I’ve come.
Not only in technique, but in clarity too.
I know now what I want more of in my work, what feels right, and what feels like me.

But I wouldn’t know that without the journey I’ve been on. When I first committed to painting (about nine years or so ago), I was just happy to be painting anything. I followed whatever thread felt interesting, and kept asking questions along the way.

Both pieces matter.
The early one, with all its searching.
The recent one, with its refinement.
They’re part of the same story - and both have a place.

Let's take a moment to acknowledge where we're at, and know that wherever that is, it's just perfect right now! 🥳

13/08/2025

I spotted Janet's comment in an online art group, she was responding to an artist who was saying she was blocked...

Can you imagine how worried I was about what was coming next?!

'I had a blockage in me for nearly 50 years. I reluctantly signed up to Creative Shift last year as I knew I had to do something about it or I was never going to enjoy creating artwork. I was convinced it wouldn't work, the first 3 lessons I was angry and dismissive about what Sally-Anne Ashley was asking us to do, but I persuaded myself to do it, half-heartedly, anyway, thinking it would prove me right and this was all a load of psycho-babble. I was shocked to the core at how revealing it was. I even admitted it online (constantly!) in the group. I could keep the revelations to myself, as there was no need to share them, but I've completely changed my thinking, my attitude and my belief in myself... purely through Creative Shift. I'm 69 now and never felt more positive and relaxed about how, when and what I create…'

Janet Gomes

CREATIVE SHIFT 2023

12/08/2025

One stone, out of thousands. I was just about to leave when it caught my eye.
The shape, the weight, the way it held the light... all so perfect!
A quiet reminder that the good stuff often shows up when you’re not looking too hard.

What’s something small you’ve noticed lately? 👀

10/08/2025

Warning! This isn't easy...

BUT - answering these types of questions helps you to understand your work - what you're drawn to, what you like, what you remember... etc. And these are the things which set you apart as an artist - these assets are uniquely yours!

Also, they're not one-time-answers - as we change, our thoughts and interests do too, so it's inevitable that our work will shift. Questions such as these can also serve as nice little check-ins with ourselves.

I've put together a PDF to help guide you through some of the questions that I ask myself when I reach a sticky moment in my practice

Click the link in my bio, sign up and I'll send it to you - curl up with a cuppa and your favourite drink, and dive in 💫💫

09/08/2025

Sometimes, what we think is the problem in our work… isn’t the real thing at all.

We have to go deeper.
Get all the thoughts out.
Look at them.
Start making connections.

In CREATIVE SHIFT, we use reflective tools - like mind-mapping - to see what’s under the surface. It’s not just about what we’re making, but how we’re thinking. How we’re navigating change. Who we’re becoming as artists.

It’s not always tidy (or easy!), but it is real.

These tools aren’t theoretical, they’re the ones I turn to myself when things feel uncertain. And over time, they've helped me to build a very personal way of working that really fits me - and you can do the same!

CREATIVE SHIFT starts on Monday 1st September, if you're interested in joining this year's course, the links are in my bio 👆🏻

Address

Southend-on-Sea

Telephone

+441702969996

Website

http://www.sally-anneashley.com/

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