Bienvenue!
Thank you for visiting my site. I love sharing my art and design with the world. Below is a little about me and how I became an artist.
About the Artist
I first fell in love with oil painting when I was 16 years old. I was apprenticed under the late artist Randy Titus for two years while I was in high school. During this time, I studied art history, color theory, a plethora of art mediums including pastels, watercolors, figure sketching, sumi ink, graphic design, charcoal, and randomly the game of chess. Oil painting was always the focus during my apprenticeship. I cherished this time and continue to implement this knowledge in my paintings today.
After high school graduation, I decided against going to college for art and branched out in other directions. Being young and naive, I was worried that it may be too difficult to make a career out of being an artist. I ended up spending over a decade of my career researching cancer in various molecular microbiology labs at the universities in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri. Working in research gave me the opportunity to work directly with a vast international community of scientists, which was incredible. Even though I found satisfaction in research, I gradually became very burnt out with the long hours and demanding work. I decided it was time for a major change. I left research behind and opened my first business, a yoga studio. During this time, I picked up art again to make ends meet financially while getting the yoga studio up and running. I mainly painted large murals for both private residences and businesses. If this wasn’t enough on my plate, I decided to open a restaurant with a friend.
Once again, I found myself burnt out. At least this time I was my own boss, which is something I realized is very important to me. During this chaotic time, I also suffered the tragic and unexpected loss of my stepmom and then my father just several months later. After the passing of my stepmom, I was spending quite a bit of time traveling from St. Louis to Charleston to take care of my disabled father. I realized I no longer had the will or the patience to juggle so many business ventures. My artwork had become what I was most passionate about and brought me the most joy, and I realized that is where I should focus my energy. I decided to sell the yoga studio building and my portion of the restaurant. Stripping away so many responsibilities have given me the mental bandwidth and the time I needed to allow my art to truly blossom.
After my father passed away and I had sold my businesses and even my house, I found myself in a position where I could take a pause from everything and allow my mental health to reset. I shifted away from painting large murals and focused on canvas art that I can paint from the comfort of my own studio. I decided to paint for the sake of painting and joy without any specific goals or cliental in mind. My plan for now is to paint what I love and see where it takes me. I truly believe this is the best way to maximize my creativity and talents. When I’m not painting or building or constructing something, I spend my time with my loving husband and two Pomeranians. I also enjoy studying French, Tango, guitar, keyboard, and ukulele.
Ashley Reeb and her Pomeranians, Remy & Fennekin
The Garden Series
Here is my latest series based off photos I took at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. The largest piece is 36x48 inches. I framed these paintings in gold metal floating frames. I love how they are bold and bright yet simple and calm on the mind. I mixed metallic gold and silver into many of the colors to give it some shine. I’m currently looking for a home for these beauties, because I am running out of wall space! Contact me if you are interested in purchasing or displaying this collection.
