Acknowledgements

Ashley Cassens - Character Artist

Ashley Cassens is an Artist and Educator who believes that paint is a conduit for touch in a digital world.

Ashley is a native Floridian who earned her BFA from Florida Southern College in 2006 practicing classical figure painting methods.  She later earned an MFA from Florida Atlantic University in 2017, where she received a full Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

Passionate about education, she interned at the Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, FL in 2016.  That experience encouraged her to accept a K-5 Art teaching position where she taught for 5 years.  Despite leaving public education, Ashley continues to teach adults how to paint realistically in her online course Let’s Get Real.

Ashley developed a signature portrait style combining retro-patterned fabric with highly realistic figures.  That work has since been licensed by Home Goods.  This method of painting informs her approach to her favorite mural subject, flora and fauna.

In 2022, she quit teaching full-time to paint murals.  Her murals are inspired by the process of oil painting and the color palette of her home state, Florida.  She is regularly booked by both private and commercial clients in and around the Tampa Bay area.  She has since painted 62 murals, including: schools, non-profits, national corporations, and prominent design firms and private residences.

Eager to serve her community, Ashley has been featured on TV for her artwork with Daytime, News Channel 8, and Fox 13 Tampa Bay.  She hand-painted the illustrations in the children's book Down in the Pasture and authored her own journal Painting Possibilities.  She is passionate about debunking the starving artist myth and was featured on the art and business podcasts, Colour Me Happy and The Artist Academy Podcast.

Jenny Wassel - Graphic Design

Jenny Wassel is a seasoned designer with over 15 years of experience spanning print, editorial, digital media, and UX/UI design.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Fine Arts and has worked with an impressive range of clients, including small businesses, collegiate and professional sports teams, and Fortune 500 companies.

Jenny's creative expertise is complemented by her passion for crafting user-centered designs that seamlessly blend aesthetics and functionality.  Beyond her professional achievements, she finds joy in nature, animals, hiking, traveling, movies, reading, and advocating for equality.  Married to her childhood sweetheart and a proud mother of two sons, Jenny brings a well-rounded perspective to her work, informed by her love for artistic expression and connection with the world around her.