Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Evans.
Ash, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am an East Coast-based (USA) artist and designer. In addition to creating both traditional and digital paintings, I also design unique toys, apparel accessories, statuary, and licensed products. I love the creative process behind both of these different but complementary skill sets. My favorite things are black cats and Halloween. I also have a passion for character-driven design and storytelling. I would love to develop my personal characters for licensing in the near future.
In 2007, I began my art career, starting in watercolor and oil painting and then expanding into mixed media works. Soon I was licensing my images, and through that experience I gained knowledge in the manufacturing process. I insisted on being very hands-on and would only sign contracts that gave me tight control and approvals. One of my first big licenses was for resin statuary. We did a run of 6 designs, and they did so well they wanted to expand rapidly. Unfortunately, the company took a financial hit, and the second series was canceled even though we had already done the rendered designs and prototypes. The licensor granted me access to the factory and gave me the molds so I was able to produce them myself. It was a big swing, but I went for it. That process got me hooked on product design and manufacturing, and I am entering my 19th year of overseas manufacturing experience. Things have changed over time, more rapidly these days, especially with the ever-shifting tariffs, but I do very much still enjoy product design.
Today I am mostly known for my cat and Halloween designs. This year my biggest project has been a 12-piece Retro Kitty art set that featured a cat for every month of the year. After I close out this busy season, I will be working on some large-scale work that is more for personal fulfillment rather than commercial appeal.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I don’t think there is a person on earth that hasn’t had challenges. If they are admitting to such, they are either lying or delusional. Or maybe they just have a trust fund the size of Montana.
My most current Everest I am trying to surmount is making art in an AI-thieving world. Seeing AI slop in everyday life makes me sick. Seeing it in stores. Being given it as a gift. Having events use an AI-generated flyer to attract me as an artist is one of the most repellent things that have happened to me this week. It’s hard to be creative in the noise of all this tech bro slop if I am honest. Hearing people went out of their way to scrape an anti-AI artist platform, Cara, and then brag about it is discouraging. The violation and the lack of respect artists get now with this water-guzzling horror show they call the next big thing is difficult.
People need to support real artists and creatives NOW. Before we just can’t afford to be here anymore. It’s funny, you see movies based in the future, and all the walls are concrete and everyone is wearing the same thing. I guess no one kept the artists around, and it’s all just metal and grey. That prospect makes me sad. My biggest obstacle right now is noise, and I am remedying that by taking a sabbatical next year from social media to just get some real work done.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a multifaceted artist, and that allows me to pivot to different things and projects. It also keeps me from getting bored. I can paint both digitally and traditionally in several mediums. I am also a proficient sculptor and fabricator. I am currently learning 3D sculpting to better assist in making prototypes of products. Those skills make me formidable when working with licensing and design because I directly understand what it takes to render 2D drawings into a 3D product. I love design and manufacturing. I only became skilled at it so my own work would look great on the things I was licensing. There is something very lacking in just slapping an image on a tee shirt, and you can see the difference in the quality and care when someone actually designs for a product instead of placing it on one.
My ultimate love will forever be painting animals, especially felines. We have a lot of rescue cats at our house, and the feline form is something I am very familiar with. I do have a background in veterinary medicine and was a technician for several years before I pursued art. My love for animals seems to follow me into whatever career I choose. There is something about the methodical way I paint soft fur that I find soothing, and I always find enjoyment in that. There is also most likely always a cat in my lap when I am working, so I do have to keep it non-toxic these days. I also have a passion for retro-inspired art and design. Many people will know me for my Halloween designs (you will even see them in Salem, Mass., every year). I love it when my art becomes part of people’s lives.
What makes me different is I can make things feel new and familiar at the same time. You can see something of mine, and it takes you to a warmer place, maybe something from a memory, and you feel something. I love colors and am not afraid to go bold and bright, but I am also very comfortable with painting dark and moody pieces.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think anyone wading into any of the creative fields should be comfortable with risk in general. Betting on yourself can be the best thing you ever do, but it comes with some baggage. Producing artwork and sharing it for people to see, dismiss, or judge is a vulnerability most people do not have the tenacity to overcome. Before tech, you would have to be at a gallery opening or have an article written about you to hear people’s feedback on your work. Artists didn’t have to constantly post works in progress and got to create with a level of insulation that allowed them to thrive. Thanks to technology, I can now have someone tell me I suck any day of the week, 24/7, and my phone will make sure I don’t miss the message. Engagement or indifference can cut like a hot knife if you aren’t just prepared to digest that. I think it’s a dangerous thing to rely on attention from social media to validate your work. You will suffer needlessly.
It’s not an easy road, and I do not in any way give aspiring creatives a blank check for being wreckless. Experience helps you gauge if something is a risk worth taking and you are going to have a lot of flops. Take risks with your work more than your money. My best advice any given day is to do what you can live with. Because at the end of it all you are going to be the one taking the hit if it doesn’t pay off.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ashevans.com
- Instagram: ashevansart
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AshEvansArt
- Other: https://www.patreon.com/cw/AshEvans
