Louisville Magazine

DEC 2015

Louisville Magazine is Louisville's city magazine, covering Louisville people, lifestyles, politics, sports, restaurants, entertainment and homes. Includes a monthly calendar of events.

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12 LOUISVILLE MAGAZINE 12.15 LIBA Partner Pages Taking one of Kentucky's favorite treasures a step further, Ashleigh Anthony and her family, owners of Art From Ashes, are fnding new ways to use Kentucky bourbon barrels — by turning them into functional and decorative works of art. This month we chatted with Ashleigh to fnd out what makes her art so irresistible. Tell us a little about your background as an artist. I took art classes at duPont Manual and at U of L and loved glass art, painting and woodburning. I have sworn I would be an artist since I was a child and have experimented with any mediums I can get my hands on for as long as I can remember. How did you get started with Art From Ashes? My discontent with bartending and a desire to make my art marketable led to the formation of Art from Ashes during my senior year at U of L. My brothers were at Manual playing lacrosse and one of the player's dads worked for Brown- Forman. Through this chance connection my parents and I were able to pick up the old barrel parts that Brown-Forman could no longer use. How does your family work together to create the pieces and grow the business? My dad's truck was critical to our success in the beginning and without my mom's impeccable organization I would have lost my mind. Now my dad helps me build any furniture orders and continually comes up with fresh new product ideas. My mom loves working the art shows and is a huge help when it comes to putting the fnishing touches on completed pieces. My brothers are less involved now that one is fnished with college and the other is in school but they have helped sand things to create my "canvases" over the years. art-from-ashes.com What's your artistic process? My artistic process is trial and error. I am not a planner; I am impulsive in my art and I get bored quickly. I am constantly trying out new techniques and creating new pieces of art. I flter out my failed ideas and I improve on the ones I notice people enjoy the most. What is your favorite piece you've made? My favorite piece of artwork I have made was a custom order Kentucky state fag. I am from Louisville and was very excited to create a fag for my state out of bourbon barrels. It has taken many years for me to perfect my bourbon- barrel fags and to be able to make one for our state was an honor. What makes your work unique? When I create a piece of bourbon barrel artwork I choose my staves selectively. I upcycle only Kentucky once-used bourbon barrels to create my functional decor and novelties. I am one of few bourbon-barrel artists who take custom painting and wood-burning orders. I not only paint and wood-burn the barrels but I also fabricate new designs and am constantly building things and creating new items from the excess. At this point I am able to use every part of an already used barrel — the smallest of scraps are used in wood smokers to add favor to meats. Which of your pieces would make the best holiday gift? All of them, but if I have to choose — we make bourbon and wine "balance" staves and they are great conversation starters. Together the bottle and holder look as though they are balanced at an impossible angle but it's really just physics. The bourbon bottle balances even make a pretty good drinking game as they balance diferently as the bottle empties. Plus, who doesn't love booze for Christmas? Photo by Benjamin Marcum

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