ASHEBORO, N.C. — She has always been an artist but now she takes art to a whole new level. Laura Ashley is a speed painter or what is sometimes called a performance painter.
"I was always the kid with a marker in her hand or a coloring book. I was also the kid everyone came to in elementary school when they needed a poster or a banner drawn. It has always been a part of my life," said Ashley, "I can't imagine my world without art."
"I remember when I was six years old we were at the beach and I was painting people on the beach and I had a sign that said "Let me paint you for a two-dollar bill? Then I asked my mom. Did anybody ever buy one? She said no and I said it's probably because I was asking for a two-dollar bill!," said Ashley.
Ashley took her love for art to the next level a few years ago when she asked herself how she could combine her love of people and being social with her love of art. And that's when it hit her.
"I love talking to people and I love art and then I heard about "performance painters" and everything just clicked," continued Ashley, "So, it started with doing speed paintings during weddings and it has just grown from there. Now I'm painting for people like Richard Petty. I love where this is taking me."
If you're interested in her work check out Laura Ashley's website.