2022 Poster Winner - Ashley Rafferty

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I am a Gulf Breeze based painter.  Although I have been creating my entire life, over the last several years I have been developing my style as an artist.    Self taught, I continued creating up until college where I originally studied Cellular & Molecular Biology.  While studying for my masters I chose to shift gears and return to art.  I began my studies as a Fine Arts major under the mentorship of Robert Marshman at the University of West Florida.  After leaving university I continued to create art and began exhibiting in shows and competitions locally  and internationally.  My work can be found in several private collections throughout the US.   During the progression of my career I have experimented with different mediums and processes but find myself consistently incorporating the detail required of science. I believe in Ars Gratia Artis (Art for art’s sake).  As an artist I am not trying to make a social statement but rather just put a little color into a world that is often difficult to navigate.