Born in Cambridge, England in 1964. Jamie Ashman studied Fashion Design
at Saint Martins School of Art from 1985 - 1989. Whilst studying in London he
became interested in painting as a medium, spending time in the Museums and
Art Galleries for inspiration. He has painted ever since.
His work experience included working as a Fashion Assistant at Conran Design
Group and Harpers & Queen Magazine and published in sixteen countries of the
world as a Trend Predictor of Ski and Denim trends in International Textiles
Magazine. Head of Fashion at C.A.T.S and as a Volunteer on the Oxfam Online Shop
for seventen years.
Now, he creates unique and sometimes playful figurative paintings and limited
edition iPad prints looking at humanity and evolving blueprints for a better more
responsible accountable, caring world. A world that learns from history and
improves life on the planet. He weaves in his love of fashion resurrected from
the Hippy ethos of ‘Peace and Love’ as a cultural shift, dressed in contemporary
style.
He looks at ecological issues, anti war and violence on both local and
international levels and creates stories and narratives in his pictures.
In a world with too much horror and violence, his practice is about creating beauty
and harmony in relation to evolution and humanity. As well as deconstructing
gender stereotypes and racial and sexuality prejudices, creating positive role
models, he embraces diversity, spreading a message of unity in diversity especially
in countries where some LBGTQIA+ identities are not accepted, celebrated but
punished.
A bias towards conservation of nature and animals, where humans and
animals live in harmony together, where game reserves and fabulous parks
and gardens are the norm rather than hunting and killing wild animals. Some of
the work looks at Earth as a beautiful flower garden, others refer tobusiness and
production and the need to redesign the way we use the earth’s resources. Moving
away from mindless consumerism and an over production of goods that can’t be
recycled.
He has exhibited and sold in the UK, USA, India,The Netherlands and
Sweden with work exhibited as large posters on London Underground, as
Cambridge Folk Festival site art, also curating two Art Happenings at Cambridge
Museum of Technology with Oblique Arts, Cambridge International Airport,
Lotus Land Estates at Aid & Abet Gallery, Carpe Diem Gallery in Goa, Vout - O -
Reenee’s Nightclub - London, Sweet’Arts Exhibitions and with various published
interviews and work in private collections.
He has donated work to various charity auctions and sales including a Stonewall
fundraiser Art Auction, Jimmy’s Night Shelter, Postcards from the edge in NYC,
Cambridge Women’s Refuge, RCA - Absolut Secret, Love is NOT an ideology at
Zebra One Gallery.