Charles Ash

I am a native of the desert southwest from Phoenix, Arizona and have been living in Santa Fe, New Mexico for the past 30 years. In addition to my artwork, I am a practicing Architect with my firm Allied Arts. I studied architecture at the University of Arizona; a curriculum that heavily emphasized sketching, drawing and presenting ideas in an expressive manner.  During my studies I was introduced to watercolors which have become a lifelong pursuit and pleasure.

I developed my art work by traveling around Southern Arizona painting and sketching landscapes, old mining towns, ranch buildings and the like and have been painting professionally since 1987.   My work draws from the Southwest forms, colors and experi­ences of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and Utah; an enjoyment in the act of painting expressing a simpler, more casual approach to life.

I love working quickly with the paint, looking for the spontaneity and the “happy accidents” that occur with a rough watercolor paper. My watercolors range from landscapes that expresses the beauty and quiet enjoyment of  the Southwest  to figurative works that ex­press a dynamic quality; using the figure as an opportunity to introduce color and motion. In each approach I rely on the quality of light and shadow to give a bold quality to my work.

Architectural Design
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