Ashley Mortenson
Greensboro, NC
I started drawing on our backyard fence a few years ago for fun and as a stress release from my job as a physician. I have an MFA that I haven’t used in years, and my husband had been bugging me to do creative things since medical school and residency. I picked up my old Rembrandt pastels left over from the 80’s, and rediscovered the joy of working in pastels. I draw on reclaimed fence wood and on paper. I have a special process where I clean up the wood, re-weather it using tea and “ironed vinegar”, and then prepare it so that I can use it as a canvas. I enjoy drawing farm animals, especially chickens and cows, old trucks and scenes from the Virginia countryside. I have also branched out into doing custom pet portraits.