Hailing from the New York Metropolitan rea, Ashley studied art at Vassar, Columbia, Hofstra University, The Art Students' League in New York and the Du Cret School of Art in New Jersey. She shared her talents and knowledge as an instructor at several community colleges and the University of Virginia's Far Eastern Division in Okinawa.

Although she has worked in various mediums (ceramics, oil, and metal, creating a line of avante garde jewelry) the chosen medium for her most recent work is watercolor and acrylic. Using Arches watercolor paper or canvas, she achieves her visual effect by applying multiple layers of glazes. Working from background to foreground, she does not use frisket to block out areas, but rather over-paints with gouache when necessary.

In her latest creations, Ashley attempts to present vignettes of nature in an up close and personal way. "I don't want to stand back from nature and view the broad picture, but prefer to examine it under my microscope presenting an intimate picture without visual ambiguity. I attempt to create a world the viewer will want to enter, and in entering, discover something new."