Meet the Maker – Edie Rose Ashley

Rosie, business owner of Edie Rose Ashley creates abstract floral acrylic paintings, using bright and fresh colour palettes, with each piece evoking a unique aspect of the British countryside. She also does handwritten calligraphy tags and customised wedding calligraphy as part of her business. Take a look below… 

How did it all start?

In March 2017 I was signed off work due to my mental health and after two months off, I decided I could no longer work in an environment that I wasn’t passionate about, and didn’t find inspiring. In the six months between quitting my job, and starting my own business, I took the time to focus on my mental health and rediscover my love of creativity and art. It wasn’t until one morning when I got up at 5:30am to finish a painting I had started, because I literally couldn’t wait to get back to it, that I realised this was something I wanted to do everyday. I started by business in November 2017, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

What inspires you?

I am deeply inspired by nature and flowers, and I love working with colour. I studied at the University of Northampton and received a First Class Honours in Printed Textile Design for Fashion, so my love of prints, colour and painting has always been a passion of mine.

What is your creation process?

I usually work on numerous paintings at a time. As a lot of my background work involves mark making, I have to work with the canvas flat on the floor to allow for the brushstrokes and watermarks to stay in situ. I will then move onto another piece whilst that one is drying and repeat the process. When it comes to the finer details like the flowers and petals, I can work on an easel to gain a greater perspective of the placement of the piece. I get asked a lot of the time how long each painting can take, but the truth is I don’t know as I never work on one piece at a time from start to finish!

What is your next project?

I’ve got a lot of commissioned weddings coming up for bespoke calligraphy, so that’s on my to do list for the moment, but in between the calligraphy I’m also working on some new larger original canvas paintings.

What are your plans for the next 12 months?

I want to start branching out into prints of my original artwork. Prints aren’t something I have supplied before, so I’m hoping to work on some new pieces specifically designed for large-scale prints.

What do you love about Country Living Fairs?

As an exhibitor, I love meeting other businesses and getting the find out the back-stories and inspiration behind their products. As someone who works alone from a home studio, it’s nice to meet new people and learn more about different creative processes. It’s also great to meet the visitors and have face-to-face interaction with your customers. That first hand feedback is so essential for me in developing my business, and ensuring I’m on the right track! I have to say that my favourite part was winning the Best Stand Design Award at last year’s Country Living Spring Fair. I was utterly thrilled as I worked so hard to create a beautiful floral display within my little 1.5m x 1.5m square!

Your three top tips for crafters and makers

1. Don’t be afraid to give everything a try! I think new skills and techniques can be quite intimidating, especially if it’s something you’re new to, but until you give it a try you’ll never know whether that new thing might be just your next profession!
2. Spend time being inspired. Whether it’s going to an exhibition and discovering new makers and creatives, or going out for a walk and photographing the different colours and textures that you see. Create a mood board of all the things you love and see what ideas spark! The more inspired you are, the more fun you’ll have being creative.
3. Practice, practice, practice. If you would have seen how my calligraphy looked when I first started, you would have laughed your head off. It wasn’t until my sister was getting married, and she wanted me to do her wedding calligraphy, that I had to spend serious time perfecting my skill! Nothing like a deadline to motivate you to keep practicing!