Ashley Austin: Problem Solving Her Way Through The Arts

Figure 1: Dragonfly 

I interviewed Ashley Austin, a former peer of mine and now a prospering designer. The thing is, I've always been a fan of her work and felt it only appropriate to feature her in my blog.

Graduating from ULL in Graphic Design, Austin is currently working at Channel One Digital Inc. Her job entails her to design for the people rather than for herself. Meaning, "In the realm of graphic design, [her] audience is everything to [her]" (Austin). Yet, she mentions that there is this visceral strife between the visual stimulation and the outcome of her creations. In other words, she can only do so much to influence her target audience, the rest is left up to fate.

"It's rough sometimes to be on the visual end of things. It feels like being a cheerleader. You get the crowd on your side, but the football team still needs to win the game. It's all kind of out of your control" (Austin). 

She goes on to describe how graphic design needs an intangible, yet concrete solution whereas visual art celebrates the notion of uncertainty. Hence, why she needs the fine arts to escape her fulfilling, yet exhausting career. Figure 1, does a great job demonstrating her need to immerse herself in the instability of her inherent reality.

A dragonfly by nature seems to be a bilateral creature; it's appendages symmetrically distributed. Yet this is an illusion, which figure 1 focuses on. By definition a dragonfly is an insect whose names derive from the Greek words: anisos, meaning uneven and pteros meaning wings. Note the word "uneven." What is so fascinating about this definition is that whether Austin intended to or not, she has recreated a visual metaphor for her cheerleading metaphor. No matter how balanced things may seem, there is always an the inevitable wild card; the independent variable tipping the scale just a bit. And perhaps this is why she has chosen such violent colors to depict this four-winged insect.

The reds and yellows embrace a certain tension within the piece. It is serves as a constant reiteration of the precarious nature we revolve around. The yellow and white brush strokes on the right side of the piece are diagonally zigzagging out, while the red flows straight down. This dichotomy between colors and lines support the subjects role in the piece.

What can be surmised about Ashley Austin, is that she is an artist striving to bring to light the Yin and Yang of life. The fight within ourselves to create a balance. It is a problem to be solved and her work exemplifies the nature of critical thinking.

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