Ashlee René Thompson is a contemporary visual artist from Montgomery, Alabama. She recently received her MFA and Certificate in Museum Studies from The University of Alabama. In prior academia, she earned her Master of Liberal Arts and Bachelor of Art in Fine Art with a minor in Art History from Auburn University at Montgomery. Thompson has had artworks exhibited in juried shows both nationally and internationally. She currently teaches for the art departments at Auburn University at Montgomery and The University of Alabama. Thompson lives and works in Tuscaloosa, AL.
Artistic expression and exploration with materials drives Thompson’s work and provides a means and context for introspection. Concepts associated with memory and interpersonal relationships, as well as the connection between the mind and body inspire her current practices. The paintings stem from honest considerations of her role in society as a Southern woman who is challenging generational cycles. Thompson explores femininity, socie¬¬¬¬tal pressures, cultural norms, and her subjective experiences with barriers and judgments. Recent artworks juxtapose improvisation and intentionality as she continuously reacts and responds to the painted surface. Painting on an unstretched canvas grants Thompson the agency to work in and around her composition; sewing and gluing collaged elements allows Thompson to incorporate fragments of her past into her present. Thompson appreciates the freedom in making the work as well as coming to terms with her innermost thoughts and feelings.