How do we belong to a place and it to us?
Born in America and living in England, Ashley catches vast broody skies, light caught gracing fields and the movement of life through the seasons. In her paintings, Ashley Hyland searches for the common language of home for us all.
These are some projects and partnerships from the past few years:
ASHLEY HYLAND
BRIGHTON STATION
Thank you to everyone who came to watch me paint in my studio at Brighton Railway Station! Mixing paints, preparing canvases, making paintings... This was a working artists studio where I could be found painting, thinking, reading... coming and going!
I completed a new body of work which I am really excited by... and also if you stopped by at the end of October you will have seen a new very emotional landscape painting. Some of my keystone pieces are never shared in public, so I am glad I was able to share the making of these.
The best part about painting live is the people I meet. Thank you!! From mothers showing their toddlers the colours and dreaming together about learning to paint to photographers and train conductors, it was a wonderful experience to meet you all.
Collaboration
Many exhibitions and projects have come from collaboration or inspiration from musicians or literature. This painting was one of a series exhibited with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at their debut of 'On Windover Hill' after collaboration with the Composer Nathan James.
Lifted.
Oil on Canvas. 3'x4'
Ashley Hyland uses the landscape to wonder about milestones in our own paths, the future that lies just past the horizon line, and the infinite unity of the skies above us. Basing many of her oil paintings in the English landscape, Ashley explores the very British ideals of belonging, stability, continuity and familiarity. How do we define home?
International
From a recent review:
Ashley Hyland is a Sussex-based British artist who was born in the United States. With over 25 years of experience making art and exhibiting, her artwork hangs in private collections in Australia, Wales, England and the United States. Ashley is known for her emotive paintings of the British countryside exploring permanence, belonging and memory. Her work has been selected for exhibition and won awards in the United States, England and Wales.
Art NXT Level International Arts Group Member
Prince's Trust Grant Award Winner, Wales, UK
(Twice)
Appalachian State University Fine Art
Grant Award, NC, USA
(Three times)
North Carolina Governor's Award Winner, USA
Honourable Mention
Eric Lowe Photography Cup, Sussex, England
I would like thank the following partners for supporting my activities in the arts: Artwave Festival, Lewes, England - Black Horse Finance, Cardiff, Wales - Gallery 13, Minneapolis, USA - BBC Arts - BBC Radio - ASDA - Appalachian State University, USA - Welsh Development Agency - Welsh Arts Council - Arts Council England
Exhibitions
Afterlight
Oxmarket Contemporary
Chichester, England
24 May - 5 June 2022
Two series of paintings made four years apart - one series acting as the memory, the afterlight of the other. The early paintings are adjusted, altered, revealing their echo.
The Afterlight exhibition is inspired by a quote from the book, Anne of Green Gables, describing the Canadian landscape. “The sun had set some time since, but the landscape was still clear in the mellow afterlight.” Lucy Maud Montgomery.
The Afterlight series celebrates the landscape as we remember it long after a visit, describing how a place belongs to us and we belong to it.
My thanks to Andrew Churchill at the Oxmarket Contemporary for his excellent curation of this exhibition, allowing to me to see new relationships in my work.
“These paintings have been made from memories of wonderful days out in Sussex, mingling echos of sunshine and laughter with oil and canvas.”
Large Oil Paintings
This painting was made after a trip to Tunisia where I watched workers in the fields. I was able to capture the initial planting of the 'one million vines' project at Rathfinney a few weeks later.
Painting in a modular way adds flexibility in hanging for larger pieces.
Gold 1 & 2. Oil on Canvas. Dyptich. 4'x6'. Both 3'x4' canvases can be hung separately.
Partnership
This year, I am working with interior designers and galleries on new collections and projects. If you would like to explore working together on your next project, please get in touch for an informal chat.
THE LIGHTENING-STRUCK TREE
YHA South Downs, Sussex, England
Hand-painted barn wall. Ashley Hyland. 2020.
