On a bitterly cold day in Boston, I ventured over to the Seaport District to visit the studio of painter Ashley Provencher. Her palette knife textured paintings of the sea had been pulling on my heartstrings via her vibrant, blue-dominant Instagram feed and I was eager to see them in person.

Ashley grew up on the coast of Massachusetts and we quickly bonded over our similar “sun up until sundown” family outings to the beach all summer long as kids. It was then that Ashley began painting her ideas of the ocean that are mostly abstracts inspired by memories and feelings of time spent seaside.

In addition to the sea, Ashley finds inspiration on her annual trips to New Orleans, a place she holds close to her heart. In 2012 she spent a summer rebuilding post Hurricane Katrina and has returned every year since. Ashley’s most recent work is on wood panels with brilliant shades of blue green and even purple - all reminiscent of the Big Easy.

“The vibrancy and excitement of the city brought out the colors and energy in my work,” the artist notes. “In each piece I am looking to bring joy to the viewer, when they look at my paintings I want them to smile and feel the warmth and excitement in each one.” On that blustery New England day I felt exactly the same as my 20-minute studio visit turned into a 3 hour hang out with the artist. I left feeling like I had just made a new friend and found a great match for the gallery.

We now have a great selection of Ashley’s seascapes hung in the gallery and I can confirm they definitely bring a little smile with their vibrant colors and subtle reminder that daylong beach adventures are always just around the corner. See Ashley’s available work in the gallery and online here.

     More details about the artist at AshleyProvencher.com
     Photos above courtesy of the artist, photo below Kristen Coates