Repetition has always been an integral part of my creative practice. Making the same thing over and over feels calming and allows me to refine details until they feel right. Repetition allows me to learn technical skills until they become embodied knowledge. The act of making an object feels like second nature - as normal to me as making a cup of tea.

After being diagnosed with AuDHD (Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) at 29 years of age I understood my interest in repetition and obsession with refining details more clearly. I had been using making as a way to soothe my racing thoughts, turning inner chaos into outer calm. My repetitive mark making was a form of stimming, aiding in emotional regulation and sensory processing.

While I now understand that how my work feels is a major driving factor to my creative practice, I’ve always known that natural environments are providers of visual cues that emerge in my work. Many of the marks that I place in the surface of the clay are references to places and journeys, or are symbols for memories.

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 Ceramic Fair 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 Country 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.