Ashley Dopson

Ashley Danielle Dopson chooses to work in spaces that are in between. These places connect people from all different backgrounds, public spaces that have intimate moments.  She prefers to create on bridges, in hallways, street corners, bus stops, community centers, schools, libraries and transit stations.  It is in these place that she weaves her own wondrous tales from childhood memories, old wives tales, fairy tales, cultural and historical influences.  It is in her world that she has perfectly curated a space between the whimsy of a childhood coloring book and the sophistication of her experience as an educated Black American woman in the 21st century America.  Governed by a vibrant palette, her work considers the stories of black women in the south, a contemporary take on biblical principles, and philosophies of empathy in order to diffuse a spirit of curiosity, wonder and nostalgic comfort to empower all around her.
Traversing a space of multiple mediums, she adheres to her bright bold color palette, bold black outlines, and thick textures.  She can be found working in oil, acrylic, aerosol and in graphite and charcoal.  Ashley D fuses apparent contradictions by finding connections between the primitive and the sophisticated, black and white and color, reality and fantasy, spontaneous and the intentional.  Her work has the soul of a child but the intuition of a trained fine artist, it is no wonder she gathers people from all walks of life.  She credits her ability to tell stories and connect themes using symbolism to her former teacher Mr. Steve Prince, a renowned printmaker, and her texture and color palette to Varnette P. Honeywood and William H. Johnson.  She seeks to not just take the spectator back in time to a more simple place but to experience the purity of a child’s heart and help us remember the things in life that used to make us smile.