Ashley Johnson (they/she) is a visual artist working out of their studio in Buffalo, NY. They express their creativity mainly through painting and illustration, though their desired medium changes.
They’ve been in numerous shows over the years, including the opening solo show at Flight Gallery in Buffalo, NY, and most recently, a group show celebrating emerging artists in Buffalo, NY, juried by Daemen College.
In 2020, AJ established a one-on-one coaching program to help artists with the business side of their practice and created work for Albright Knox's Public Art Initiative during the Covid-19 lockdown that Spring.
Statement
My work directly reflects my mental health, offering a safe space for me to work through my trauma and make sense of two seemingly opposite but intertwined ideas of order and chaos. I also want to create a safe space for others by sharing my artwork, reminding them that they aren’t alone in their struggles.
As a visual artist, my work, medium, and chosen techniques shift and evolve as I do in my personal life. When I start to work on a painting, I always consider the background and how it relates to what I’m feeling. When I choose to begin with something abstract, it’s a way to confront feelings of anxiousness and symptoms of PTSD. I can let go of control and find peace in an unpredictable outcome. I choose geometric designs when I’m feeling ungrounded and need to feel in control of something. These designs require specific measurements, which bring me directly into the moment. Sometimes, ADHD symptoms take over, and I find myself hyper-focused, easily working out complicated details. Stippling works as a meditative process for me, helping to ease anxiety. I choose to work in this technique when I’m feeling more existential dread, as it helps remind me that I’m not alone; I am part of a whole.
A great example of how these elements come together is my piece for Works, From Home, commissioned by Albright-Knox. I finished the painting during the first lockdown of 2020 and the production of my series Becoming, which focused on growth. I chose to paint a magnolia for my panel because they symbolize strength and perseverance and placed it on an abstract background representing chaos and uncertainty. I hoped that people would connect to the resilience of that flower and remember that we were going through everything collectively.
The techniques and styles I choose are usually decided on in the moment and reflect an emotion or situation I’m trying to work through. My methods of working directly support my mental health needs at the time. My healing has evolved from confronting surface-level and fleeting emotions (IN FLUX series) toward a deeper understanding of my trauma and needs (current series, Inner Child Treats). As a result, my work takes longer to complete. There are more stages to the creation and more layers to each artwork. While I work on my current series, I spend more time contemplating my final design choices because there are multiple ways to understand the situation a piece represents and approach the healing process.
As I continue to work on my mental health, my artwork will evolve with me. The medium and techniques are likely to change, but its purpose in providing me a safe space to contemplate my trauma, balance, and instability will remain the same.
Exhibitions
Solo and Two Person Shows
2023
Luminescence Aesthetics, Selected works from IN FLUX and Becoming, Amherst, NY
2021
The Powerhouse, Selected works from IN FLUX, Buffalo, NY (organized by Aaron Ott)
2020
The Crucible Art Collective, Becoming, Buffalo, NY
2018
Flight Gallery, #buffalove, Buffalo, NY
East Meets West Yoga Studio, Selected works from IN FLUX, Buffalo, NY
2017
Paint the Town Gallery, IN FLUX, Buffalo, NY
2015
Artsphere Studio and Gallery, Senior Exhibition, Buffalo, NY
Group Shows
2023
Five Points Bakery, Collaborative Exhibition with The Crucible Art Collective, Buffalo, NY
2022
The Crucible Art Collective (organized by Daemen College), Emergence: A Celebration of Emerging Artists, Buffalo, NY (juried)
The Crucible Art Collective, group exhibition, Buffalo, NY
2019
The Crucible Art Collective, grand opening, Buffalo, NY
Project 308 Gallery, Art on Oliver, North Tonawanda, NY
Mills Pond Gallery, In the Garden of Eden: Artist Reflections, Saint James, Long Island, NY (invitation)
418 West Ferry St (pop-up show), Alumbra, Buffalo, NY
2018
Hallwalls, 44th Annual Members Exhibition, Buffalo, NY
El Museo, Members' Exhibition #3: BIG TIME, Buffalo, NY
Georgette (pop-up show), The Independents, Buffalo NY
Main St Gallery, Merging Mediums, Buffalo, NY
2017
Jim Bush Studios, Between People, Buffalo, NY
Main St Gallery (Infringement Festival), Things I Should've Said, Buffalo, NY
Niagara Arts and Cultural Center, NF125, Niagara Falls, NY (juried)
585 Niagara St (pop-up show), Blue, Buffalo, NY
Project 308 Gallery, Process, North Tonawanda, NY
2016
Manuel Barreto Art Gallery, Breathe, Buffalo, NY
Project 308 Gallery, Identities of Today: Portraits of WNY, North Tonawanda, NY
Collections
2021
Albright-Knox, Buffalo, NY
2020
Albright-Knox, Buffalo, NY
Interviews, Mentions, & Features
2022
Buffalo News - Illustration for Buffalo Magazine
Buffalo Rising - CPX: Refresh
2021
Buffalo News (Front Page 10/23) - Albright-Knox Mural at BNMC
Buffalo Rising - Albright-Knox Mural at BNMC
Buffalo Rising - Works, from Home
CiMAM - Works, from Home
Buffalo Review West - Artists at The Crucible
2020
Phillips - Works, from Home
WGRZ - Works, from Home
WKBW - Works, from Home
Buffalo News - Works, from Home
Albright-Knox - Works, from Home
Burchfield Penney - April M&T Second Friday
2019
Qween City - BWG Artist Spotlight
Buffalo Rising - Studio Unveiling at NFFT
TBR News Media - In the Garden of Eden: Artist Reflections
Smithtown Matters - In the Garden of Eden: Artist Reflections
2018
Buffalo Rising - #buffalove
Niagara Frontier Productions - #buffalove
Boston Voyager - Inspiring Stories
Medium/EF Creative - Creative Interview #1
artiswhy - PANTONE AEJ (BTS)
Buffalo Rising - Merging Mediums
The Boss Diary - Feature Friday
2017
Albright-Knox - Igniting Creativity: Local Artists Inspire WNY Classrooms
Rise Collaborative - Feature Friday
Buffalo Rising - BLUE
Rise Collaborative - Feature Friday
Rise Collaborative - Feature Friday
2016
Buffalo Rising - The Art Trade
Step Out Buffalo - The Art Trade