Reflecting on the rich landscapes of South Australia, the surfaces of Ashlee’s work are layered and textural. Exploring the material agency of locations that hold dear to her memory, her practice juxtaposes foraged sands and ochres with slips and contemporary ceramic materials like underglaze. From rich earthy outback desert tones, to softer blushes of colour referencing her Spring garden, her predominantly functional works are full of life and pops of colour.

Photography by Leah Menner.

Ashlee is passionate about South Australian ceramics and the people who make them. Whether it be through the delivery of workshops that build on maker’s practices and tool kits, or as the founder of Adelaide Ceramics Market, she hopes to contribute to a sustainable arts sector that champions local craftspeople.

Ashlee graduated with a Bachelor of Visual Arts (Ceramics) from the University of South Australia in 2016. She then went on to complete the JamFactory’s Associate Training Program in 2018 where she stayed on as a studio tenant and short course teacher. Ashlee was appointed as Production Manager of the JamFactory Ceramics Studio from 2020-2021. During her time at JamFactory Ashlee designed multiple products for the jam product range, and pioneered a short course in conjunction with ACH Group specifically for students with various neurological disorders. Since 2021, Ashlee has worked closely with Ku Arts to facilitate workshops in remote communities across the state with a focus on creative and professional development opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Artists. This work follows on from previous engagements with Ernabella Arts in the APY Lands from 2016-2019. 

Ashlee’s works are held in numerous private collections, as well as commercial settings such as the restaurants at Hentley Farm and Magill Estate. In 2024 she won the Fleurieu Art Prize with her work Forest Ochre on Open Form.

Ashlee currently works from her backyard studio on Kaurna Yarta in Prospect, South Australia. 

Ash acknowledges the Kaurna People as the traditional custodians of the land she lives + works on, and acknowledges their deep connection to country. Sovereignty was never ceded.