Ash Barrow. Artist Statement

Contemporary Artist Ash Barrow is now based in Yorkshire and is working throughout the UK with pieces that range from paintings and drawings to taxidermy, film and photography. She draws inspiration from underground film, heavy metal music, occultism and subcultures - with her works often consisting of a macabre or autobiographical nature. Touching on and bringing to light the issues of gender and sexuality

Through studying Contemporary Arts Practices at degree level, and being awarded a First Class Honours, Ash was able to develop her own unique style and way of working and through participating in multiple exhibitions has gained an understanding of the creative community and what is required of an Artist in order to grow and progress within the Arts industry.

Throughout the years Ash has used many different mediums to match the mood of the theme of her work. She’s experimented with things from large-scale painting and portraiture to small intricate paper cutes but the major focus in Ash’s practice is the ever-growing series of continuous line drawings. These are mainly autobiographical and used as a way of communication. Releasing stress and anger about day-to-day situations and illustrating things she can’t or shouldn’t put into words. She first used this technique whilst in college and as she continued to generate more and more she developed a, somewhat, defined style and technique of producing these. The characteristics of the drawings are an intentional mix of endearing and creepy, using bright colours and a childlike hand drawn quality to depict sinister images of suffering and demise.