Ashleigh Sumner

Ashleigh Sumner Biography

Ashleigh Sumner is a self-taught artist living and working out of the Arts District in Downtown,
Los Angeles. Born in 1979, Sumner received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Western Carolina
University before moving West to L.A.

Much of Sumner’s work is heavily inspired by industrial areas, inner city life, and political/social
movements of the past and present. Sumner’s mixed media process often involves the
photographs of icons along with material used from found street flyers. These street flyers are
Xeroxed and applied repeatedly to wooden canvases creating multiple stacked and torn layers
of distressed, paper imagery. Her natural love of text is often implemented throughout her
pieces by incorporating pages from books of poetry, verse, lyrics and theatrical plays. Selected
pieces of literature within a piece are not only used to add layers and depth to a work but are
often intended to make a subtle political or social statement involving class, gender, poverty and
equality. House paint is applied, scrapped and splattered throughout the work then partially
sanded away with an industrial hand sander to reveal the layers and paint below the surface
and to create a weathered element to the painting. Lastly, several layers of resin are added to
each piece and then flamed with a blowtorch to create a perfectly smooth, modern finish to the
gritty artwork underneath.

In her latest body of work, Sumner has been focusing on the concept of handwriting as a lost art
form. In her 2016 solo exhibition, “Written All Over Your Face,” (Zener Schon Contemporary)
Sumner silkscreened into her paintings the handwritten letters, song lyrics and speeches of
some of America’s greatest icons. The use of handwriting is a signature detail found throughout
Sumner’s most recent pieces.

Since 2016, Sumner has exhibited with the prominent Evan Lurie Gallery (Carmel, IN). Through
Lurie’s representation, her work has been on display at all major art fairs throughout the United
States which include a sold out exhibition during the 2016 Miami Art Basel (Red Dot, Miami and
SCOPE, Miami).

Additional 2017 exhibitions with the gallery include Art Market Hamptons, Art Aspen, Palm
Beach Contemporary Art Fair, Palm Beach Art Antique and Jewelry Show, Boca Raton
Contemporary Art Fair and Art Market San Francisco.

Internationally, Sumner’s work has been exhibited with the Victor Saavedra Gallery in
Barcelona, Spain Mark Jason Gallery & TAG Fine Arts of London and Cobra Arts of Amsterdam.
Her work can be found in private collections across the globe.

In 2014, Sumner was named by a juried panel the winner of the Red Bull Curates Competition
for Los Angeles. As a result, Sumner was highlighted in a special exhibition with SCOPE, Miami
at the Miami Basel that year.

In addition, Sumner curated in 2012 “Street Preachers: An Exhibition of Female Street Artists in
Los Angeles” at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock in east L.A. “Street Preachers” was
awarded grants from both the Pasadena Art Alliance and the Los Angeles County Arts
Commission. The exhibition included the talents of street artists Annie Preece, Jules Muck,
Sarah’s Incognito and Kym CBS.

EDUCATION
2002 – current:Bachelor of Arts, Western Carolina University

AWARDS/ GRANTS
Winner, Red Bull Curates Competition – LAX
Pasadena Art Alliance – “Street Preachers”
Los Angeles Arts Commission – “Street Preachers”

SELECTED COLLECTIONS
Lynda Resnick – Owner, Fiji Water and Pom Juice
Tomas Jegeus – Vice President Fox Studios
Hannah & Derek Jeter – Supermodel and MLB professional athlete
Eric Goodwin – NBA agent, Goodwin Sports Management
Richard “Rip” Hamilton – professional athlete, NBA
Vivica A. Fox – Actress, entrepreneur
Robin Weigert – Actress
Lindsey Berg – Professional athlete, four-time Olympian and captain of U.S. women’s indoor
volleyball
The Claremont Hotel: Lobby, Oakland, CA
Microsoft Theater : VIP Room, Los Angeles, CA

EXHIBITIONS

2017:
Art Market and Design Hampton, Evan Lurie Gallery. Bridgehampton, NY
Affordable Art Fair Hong Kong, Mark Jason Gallery & Tag Fine Arts, London U.K.
Affordable Art Fair, London, Mark Jason Gallery & Tag Fine Arts, London U.K.
Art Market San Francisco ,Evan Lurie Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Art Market and Design Hampton, Evan Lurie Gallery. Bridgehampton, NY
Boca Raton Contemporary Art Fair, Evan Lurie Gallery. Boca Raton, FL
Affordable Art Fair New York, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles CA
Palm Springs Contemporary Art Fair – Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles CA
Palm Beach Art, Antique & Jewelry Show – Evan Lurie Gallery,West Palm Beach, FL
Palm Beach Contemporary Art Show – Evan Lurie Gallery, West Palm Beach, FL

2016:
“Written All Over Your Face”, Zener Schon Contemporary Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
SCOPE, Miami, Evan Lurie Gallery, Miami, FL
Red Dot, Miami, Evan Lurie Gallery, Miami, FL
Affordable Art Fair, Singapore, Mark Jason Gallery & Tag Fine Arts, London U.K.
New York Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, Evan Lurie Gallery, New York City, NY
Affordable Art Fair, New York, Evan Lurie Gallery, New York City, NY
Affordable Art Fair Battersea, London, Mark Jason Gallery and Tag Fine Arts, London U.K.
Art Aspen, Zener Schon Contemporary, Mill Valley/San Francisco, CA
Art Hamptons, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
Affordable Art Fair, Hampstead, London, Mark Jason Gallery, London U.K.
Affordable Art Fair, Hong Kong, Mark Jason Gallery, London U.K.
Affordable Art Fair, New York, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
LA Art Show , Art Unified, Venice Beach, CA
London Art Fair, London, Mark Jason Gallery, London U.K

2015:

“Horns & Halos”, Zener Schon Contemporary Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA
Highlighted Artist of the Month, Art Walk Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
Affordable Art Fair, London, Mark Jason Gallery, London U.K.
Zener Schon Contemporary, San Francisco, CA
Affordable Art Fair, New York, Artspace Warehouse Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
San Francisco Art Market, Zener Schon Contemporary, San Francisco, CA
LA Art Show,Mugello Contemporary, Los Angeles, CA
Zener Schon Contemporary, San Francisco, CA

2014:
SCOPE Miami, Red Bull Curates, Miami, FL
“Graffiti Ballads”, I820 Industrial Street Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Red Bull Curates, Mack Sennett Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Open Show Curated by Jenny Gheith of San Francisco MoMA, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA

2013:
“Silences”, Victor Saavedra Gallery, Barcelona Spain
Affordable Art Fair, Artspace Warehouse, Seattle, WA
Affordable Art Fair, Artspace Warehouse, New York, NY
“New Style Collage”, Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
“Words On Printed Page”, 825 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“3 W”, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA

2012:
“Street Wise”, Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara CA
“Street Preachers”, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA
“Zero Hour”, Whole 9 Gallery, Culver City, CA
“Out There”, Gallery 825, Los Angeles, CA
“Urban Discovery”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
“Affordable Art Fair”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA

2011:
“Colors”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
“City & Society”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
“Group Exhibition”, Victor Saavedra Gallery, Barcelona, Spain
“Young and Powerful”, Official Obama Fundraiser, Los Angeles, CA
“Urban Grid”, Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA
“Pop Up”, Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, CA

2010:
“TenaCITY”,Gochiss and Advocate Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
“Urbanite”, A.Muse Gallery, San Francisco, CA
“Urban Inspiration”, Dezart Gallery, Palm Springs, CA
“Abstract Passion”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA
“Evolution”, Create: Fixate, Los Angeles, CA

REPRESENTING GALLERIES
Evan Lurie Gallery, Carmel IN
Zener Schon Contemporary Art Gallery, Mill Valley/San Francisco, CA
Mark Jason Gallery & Tag Fine Arts, London, United Kingdom
Artspace Warehouse Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Art Angels, Los Angeles, CA