Today we’d like to introduce you to Ash Schultz.
Hi Ash, Thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in Florida—the oldest of seven kids. Art was the one thing that set me apart from my siblings and friends. I moved to Las Vegas in 2012 and learned to do spray paint art. I spent 8 years on the Vegas strip and Fremont Street selling spray paint paintings to visitors and attending the local comic cons. During that time, I also learned to paint with acrylic and oil paints and routinely mixed spray paint with acrylic paints to achieve many of my paintings. I enjoy comic and horror conventions while selling my work online and out of Cafe Tu Tu Tangos on International Drive and have begun diving into mural art.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s not easy to go through life without experiencing challenges and obstacles. That goes double for anyone in pursuit of a worthy dream or goal. If you’re pursuing a life as a working artist, then you might think the most challenging part about that is the art. The most challenging aspect of this endeavor is everything but the art. The business side of things: marketing and social media, packaging and shipping, ordering/making prints, video production, booking conventions, festivals, and events. There are a dozen other full and part-time jobs a working artist must do to be successful. If you’re not fortunate enough to have a spouse, significant other, friend, or team to help with this, the stress and pressure can sometimes become overwhelming and distract from the actual process of creating art. With that said, on the other side of adversity is growth. You should never try to avoid the obstacles, but figure out how to overcome them. You’ll be the better for it in all aspects of your life.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
The primary mediums I work in are spray paint, oil paint, and acrylic paint. I was a spray paint artist in Las Vegas for 8 years before returning to Orlando. In that time, I dabbled with nearly every medium under the sun. Eventually, I focused on learning to paint with oils and acrylics. Spray paint is excellent, but it’s nearly only possible to do characters or detail work with stencils and spray paint as a medium is not kind to brushes. Eventually, I developed what I consider to be my signature style. In all my years working within the comic convention circles and as an artist at Cafe Tu Tu Tangos, I don’t know of any other artist who paints like I do, using a blend of spray paint and acrylics. Spray paint would allow me to create beautiful textures, fantastical landscapes, and cosmic environments, while acrylic painting with a brush lets me embellish with finer details and characters. It’s the process I use the most often now unless I’m doing a straightforward oil painting.
Are any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
It’s not unusual for me to listen to audiobooks or podcasts while I’m working, and I’ve acquired more than a few nuggets of wisdom and insight from them. However, I consider myself “self-taught” because I have no formal schooling for art. I have spent many hours learning from other artists on YouTube, which has become an invaluable resource. Some of my favorite podcasts and books are The Draftsmen on YouTube. One of the hosts is an artist and the creator of the YouTube channel Proko, an excellent artist resource for learning. I recommend the book Atomic Habits by James Clear if you want a better understanding of how to establish new habits that better serve your life as an artist and in general. I also recommend all the books by Robert Greene (48 Laws of Power, Mastery, etc.). Impact Theory is a fantastic interview-style show on YouTube where I’ve learned so much from the best and brightest in almost every field imaginable.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ash_schultz_art
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ash.schultz150
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/ashschultzart
- Other: www.etsy.com/shop/ashschultzart
