Ashley's bright and colourful illustrations are lovely, full of bold colour and pattern--and she even manages to sneak in cute animals here and there. Her work is quite versatile, very approachable, and friendly. What I like about her illustration style is that it is young and playful, but she pays attention to detail where it counts with intensely delicate cuts.

Ashley Barron
www.ashleybarron.wordpress.com, www.ashleybarron.com
Toronto, Ontario

Describe your work in 10 words or less.

Kaleidoscope menagerie.

What do you like to work with (magazines, photographs, vintage)? Be specific!

For the most part I work with solid coloured pieces of Canson paper. I try to personalize these sheets as much as possible, either by painting them or pressing/printing textures onto them. I also collect old file folders, recipe cards, book sleeves, packaging, envelopes... pretty much anything that can widen my pallet spectrum.

How long have you been creating collages and what made you start?

I've been focusing on paper collage since my second year at OCAD. I initially started using paper as a speedy way to colour-fill parts of my line drawings in. Over time, I found myself relying on the coloured shapes to dictate the piece rather than the drawn line.

Are you solely an artist, or do you work in another profession?

I'm a freelance illustrator. I also assist another Toronto artist in his studio a couple days a week, as well as lifeguard here and there.

Do you have any formal art training?

I graduated from OCAD's illustration program in 2007.

Explain your favourite techniques.

I have an ever-growing collection of circular hole punchers. As a result, my work table consistently looks as though a 7-year-old's birthday party has just come and left the scene: coloured confetti of all shapes and sizes strewn about. These random scatterings of paper scraps are the bread and butter of my ideation process. A semi-circle could lead to a beetle's shell, a wing, a leaf, etc, etc.

Describe your favourite piece ever created.

My favourite piece is The Great Outdoors. It's an imagined Canadian landscape: a setting I wish I could jump inside of once in a while, much like Jane and Michael do with the chalk drawings in the movie Mary Poppins.

What other artists do you admire?

Maira Kalman's whimsy, Charley Harper's geometric playfulness, and Wayne Thiebaud's delight-inducing abilities.

Thanks Ashley!