Kathryn Ashleigh
I was born this way!
Which is 60%+ blind! One Christmas time my mom said, “look at that beautiful tree!” I said “What tree?” I was quickly diagnosed at age 5 and subsequently given tiny little thick glasses. Suddenly I saw the light and now I see the world as one giant sometimes fuzzy composition. I can paint 2 inches from my work without glasses. Contacts do not allow me to paint or read, a constant mix of up close painting and then whipping on my strong spectacles, which can be disorienting. However, I have gotten completely used to this way of living. I have recently begun to paint larger canvas and this is the true challenge! However it’s another f acet of learning new neural paths . I mentally compose almost every moment that I see as a painting. My senses of smell and hearing developed to a super level because of my lack of sight. Sometimes this gift is overwhelming but I cannot control it nor do I usually want to do so. The minutia of our planet is full of beauty if you just STOP and look. My creativity is sparked by golden low lights of dawn and dusk and my interests are highly diverse. I will frequently add the form of a beautiful woman to the beauty of Mother Nature. Much of my latest work is more personally symbolic and frequently a reflection of the puritanical changes in society as a whole. Most of these societal changes I consider very controversial. In the last few years I have shown my work at Art Plus, Yocum Center f or the Arts, Goggle works twice, IX (second string) Rosemont College 101artists and recently an exhibition at One Plus Gallery via NAWA in Manhattan. I am currently one of 5 featured Artists in Inspiration Arts Magazine. Additionally, I am currently on display on the Philadelphia Watercolor Society website ! You can see my work in person this f all at the Chester County Art Walk in Goshen, Chester County.
Thank you for your consideration, Kathryn Ashleigh
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper Giclée Print
Framed Dimensions: 12" x 12" (approx.)
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
In this hauntingly surreal piece, Kathryn Ashleigh captures a moment of divine descent and demonic emergence. At first glance, the serene autumnal landscape with its mirrored trees reflecting off a still body of water evokes tranquility. But a closer look reveals a celestial being plummeting from the heavens above, contrasted starkly by a horned figure clawing its way up from below.
The composition's symmetry is disrupted deliberately, using vibrant pastels and muted shadows to blur the line between the ethereal and the infernal. The sky bursts with warm hues of orange and pink, symbolizing both twilight and transformation. Glittering textures give the canvas an otherworldly shimmer, drawing the viewer deeper into the dualities of fall and rise, purity and corruption.
Set in an ornate gold frame, the painting plays with contrasts: divine light against earthly decay, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
150.00
Title: Moon Rider and the Sirens
Medium: Mixed media watercolor, ink Giclée Print
Dimensions: 8.5.x 11.5 14x17 framed
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
Year: 2022
Description:
A dreamlike composition blending myth and fantasy, this artwork portrays a celestial figure astride a luminous white horse galloping through a star-filled sky. The rider, adorned in flowing garments and intricate patterns, reaches toward a radiant moon that echoes her own ethereal light. Below, twin mermaids or sirens emerge from swirling waves, their golden hair intertwining like ribbons of motion and sound. The ornate border rich with geometric motifs and symbolic imagery frames the central vision like an ancient tapestry, merging elements of mythology, astrology, and surrealism.
Interpretation:
The piece evokes themes of transformation, feminine power, and cosmic balance. The horse symbolizes strength and motion between worlds, while the moon and sirens suggest intuition, desire, and the pull of the subconscious. The overall effect is both regal and mystical, inviting viewers into a mythic journey through the imagination.
350.00
Title: Procession of the Wild
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
Mixed media work presented in a sculptural, Giclée Print, hand-assembled frame 14x17 in frame.
"Procession of the Wild" is a richly symbolic and visually arresting work that merges myth, sensuality, and ritual into a single, unified vision. The composition unfolds as a ceremonial march of figures and animals intertwined in a dreamlike landscape where instinct, power, and adornment coexist. Ornate patterning, earthy tones, and deliberate repetition lend the scene a timeless quality, evoking ancient pageantry while remaining unmistakably contemporary.
The presentation elevates the work into an immersive object. The custom frame constructed from layered, nail elements and finished in a lustrous gold function as more than a boundary; it becomes an extension of the artwork’s narrative. Its raw, tactile surface contrasts with the detailed imagery within, suggesting both protection and containment, like a reliquary preserving a sacred rite. The dark ground surrounding the image draws the viewer inward, intensifying focus and heightening the sense of theatrical display.
Together, image and frame create a commanding presence that blurs the line between painting and sculptural artifact. "Procession of the Wild" stands as a compelling statement piece at once seductive and confrontational inviting collectors to engage with themes of nature, identity, and ritualized power through a lens of bold visual storytelling.
550.00
Born this way Mixed-Media, Giclée Print
Dimensions: 8.5.x 11.5 14x17 framed
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
Watercolor, ink, and metallic detailing on paper; framed in black with deep burgundy mat
This striking piece combines figurative minimalism with ornate decorative patterning. At the center, a pale, elongated figure kneels in profile, holding a swirling red-and-gold orb with great care and concentration. Her form is outlined simply and elegantly, contrasting sharply with the lavish surrounding border a tapestry of golden, dragon-like motifs set against deep black and trimmed in bold red.
The composition merges quiet introspection with regal symbolism. The clean, luminous central space isolates the figure, emphasizing her gesture and intent, while the rich border evokes mythic power and protective guardianship. The work feels at once intimate and ceremonial, as though capturing a ritual moment or symbolic offering.
Interpretation
This artwork presents a sense of reverence and deliberate action. The kneeling figure serene, focused, and almost statuesque appears to be presenting or contemplating the glowing orb she holds. The pose suggests devotion, offering, or the careful stewardship of something precious.
The stark contrast between the simplicity of the figure and the intricate border hints at a narrative about the relationship between the personal inner world and the larger forces that surround it. The orb may symbolize life, creativity, knowledge, or power something fragile and transformative. The figure’s elongated, graceful posture further conveys purity, intention, and ritualistic significance.
100.00
Transitions
Medium: Mixed Media watercolor Giclée Print
14x17 approx. finished size in frame.
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
Transitions is a contemplative watercolor that explores the fragile threshold between states of being rest and awakening, enclosure and release, vulnerability and transformation.
At the center of the composition, a pale, nude figure curls inward within a narrow, stone-like frame, their posture fetal and introspective. A single wing emerges from their back, folded rather than extended, suggesting latent movement rather than flight itself. The figure appears suspended in a moment of pause neither fully confined nor fully free capturing the quiet tension of change before it occurs.
Surrounding this inner frame is a field of soft lavender washes mottled with organic green blooms, evoking both decay and regeneration. These splashes feel almost cellular or moss-like, reinforcing themes of growth, erosion, and the passage of time. A deep green mat encloses the central image, acting as a visual threshold between the inner psychological space and the outer world, while the wide blush-pink mat and natural wood frame soften the overall presentation, lending warmth and intimacy.
The watercolor medium enhances the work’s emotional tone: translucent layers, gentle bleeding of color, and subtle texture mirror the uncertainty and permeability inherent in transitions themselves. Rather than depicting transformation as dramatic or explosive, Transitions honors it as inward, quiet, and deeply human a moment of becoming held delicately between what was and what may be.
150.00
Barn Mates
Beloved Appaloosas
Medium: Mixed Media watercolor
14x17 approx. finished size in oval frame.
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
"Barn Mates, Beloved Appaloosas" is an intimate watercolor portrait that celebrates companionship, familiarity, and the quiet bonds formed through shared life and space.
Two Appaloosa horses fill the oval frame, their heads gently inclined toward one another until their foreheads touch. This close contact conveys trust and affection without sentimentality, capturing a moment of calm mutual presence rather than action. Their expressions are soft and attentive, eyes half-lidded, suggesting long familiarity and ease. Though distinct in pattern and tone one darker and mottled, the other lighter and dappled the pair reads as a harmonious whole.
The artist’s careful rendering of texture brings the horses to life: the stippled coats characteristic of Appaloosas, the subtle contours of muscle and bone, and the flowing black manes that arc and intertwine above them like shared breath or movement. The cool blue background recedes quietly, allowing the horses’ faces to remain the emotional focus of the piece.
Presented within a worn, gilded oval frame, the work evokes the feeling of a cherished keepsake something observed daily in a barn aisle yet worthy of reverence. The watercolor medium, with its delicate layering and soft transitions, reinforces the tenderness of the scene.
"Barn Mates, Beloved Appaloosas" honors the understated love between animals who know each other deeply. It is a portrait not just of two horses, but of shared routines, silent understanding, and the enduring comfort of a trusted companion.
250.00
Corset Garden
Medium: Watercolor and ink on paper Giclée Print 8x8 framed 15x15
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
With a gaze both confident and enigmatic, Corset Garden presents a figure at the crossroads of sensuality, style, and botanical fantasy. Clad in a delicate corset that both constrains and accentuates, the central figure is surrounded by a lush array of oversized lilies, trumpet flowers, and winding foliage, creating an almost theatrical backdrop that evokes themes of femininity, ornamentation, and inner bloom.
The artist uses fine ink lines and watercolor washes to create rich textures curly locks rendered with a whisper of chaos, petals vibrating with saturated color, and a patterned night-sky backdrop that deepens the dreamlike setting. The surrounding flora appears almost to reach toward the figure, making her the natural center of a cultivated universe.
Framed with a bold magenta matte and black lacquered wood, the piece radiates a vivid, unapologetic energy inviting viewers to celebrate beauty, complexity, and the intimacy of self-adornment.
100.00
Serenity at sunset
Medium: Watercolor and ink on paper Giclée Print 14x17 framed
Artist: Kathryn Ashleigh
This evocative watercolor blends fantasy and symbolism in a dreamlike woodland setting. At the center sits a serene, ethereal woman in a flowing burgundy gown trimmed with gold. Her long silver hair cascades over her shoulders as she perches on a pale, rounded stone beside a calm pool. Beneath her, the water reflects not her true likeness, but an alternate face an uncanny, masklike visage that suggests dual identity, introspection, or transformation.
Surrounding her, slender trees rise toward a radiant burst of light that filters through the canopy in soft yellows and greens, illuminating distant purple mountains. A single fish glides through the lavender water in the foreground, adding to the painting’s quiet sense of otherworldliness.
The artist’s use of color lush greens, glowing golds, and mystical purples creates a tranquil yet enigmatic atmosphere. Ornamental details in the woman's dress and the intricate play of light invite prolonged contemplation. Combining natural beauty with surreal imagery, the piece evokes themes of reflection, hidden selves, and the boundary between the physical and the spiritual.
Interpretation
This artwork presents a contemplative moment suspended between reality and fantasy. The central figure poised, elegant, and introspective appears caught in a quiet pause, as though contemplating her own presence in the landscape. The luminous rays of light filtering through the trees suggest revelation, awakening, or a spiritual encounter. Yet the reflection in the water introduces tension: it shows not a perfect mirror image, but an alternate self, hinting at inner conflict, transformation, or subconscious truth.
The scene blends serenity with subtle unease. The woman’s calm posture contrasts with the unsettling distortion below, implying that beneath stillness lies complexity. The overall effect is meditative, inviting viewers to interpret her expression and relationship to this otherworldly environment.
100.00
Medium: Mixed Media on Paper
Framed Dimensions: 4" x 4" (approx.)
Artist: Observer of Human Nature
In this hauntingly surreal piece, captures a moment of divine descent and demonic emergence. At first glance, the serene autumnal landscape with its mirrored trees reflecting off a still body of water evokes tranquility. But a closer look reveals a celestial being plummeting from the heavens above, contrasted starkly by a horned figure clawing its way up from below.
The composition's symmetry is disrupted deliberately, using vibrant pastels and muted shadows to blur the line between the ethereal and the infernal. The sky bursts with warm hues of orange and pink, symbolizing both twilight and transformation. Glittering textures give the canvas an otherworldly shimmer, drawing the viewer deeper into the dualities of fall and rise, purity and corruption.
Set in an ornate gold frame, the painting plays with contrasts: divine light against earthly decay, and the eternal struggle between good and evil.
100.00
Mixed Media on Paper
Framed Dimensions: 4" x 4" (approx.)
Artist: Observer of Human Nature
Intimate in scale yet emotionally expansive, No Regrets captures a moment of quiet introspection rendered through symbolic elegance and refined detail. A golden-winged figure curls inward, suspended between vulnerability and strength, embodying themes of acceptance, transformation, and self-reflection. The luminous palette of gold, crimson, and deep shadow evokes both sacred iconography and contemporary narrative, inviting viewers into a contemplative emotional space.
Influenced by Art Deco stylization and mythic imagery, the composition merges delicate line work with richly textured mixed media surfaces, creating a striking interplay between fragility and resilience. The figure’s posture suggests surrender without defeat a meditation on embracing life’s experiences without remorse.
Presented in an ornate gilded frame that enhances its jewel-like presence, No Regrets functions as both an intimate personal statement and a timeless symbolic portrait, encouraging viewers to reflect on their own journeys toward acceptance and self-awareness.
100.00
Mixed Media on Paper
Framed Dimensions: 8" x 8" (approx.)
Artist: Observer of Human Nature
A solitary tree rises against a sky washed in soft twilight hues, its bare branches reaching like quiet thoughts into the fading light. Beneath it stands a lone horse still, grounded, and patient embodying a gentle presence that feels both watchful and deeply at rest. Snow softens the landscape, creating a space suspended between endings and beginnings, silence and renewal.
The painting carries a sense of hushed reverence, where time slows and emotion becomes subtle rather than dramatic. The luminous sky and delicate contrasts between darkness and light evoke memory, longing, and quiet resilience. Through simplified forms and poetic symbolism, the work speaks to companionship found in solitude and the quiet strength that emerges from moments of reflection.
Intimate in scale yet expansive in feeling, the piece invites viewers to pause and enter a contemplative state a reminder that beauty often resides in stillness, and that even in solitude, one is never truly alone.
125.00
