Artist Profile • About the Artist

Artist Profile • About

Trompe l’Oeil Self Portrait Mural

Profile – About the Artist

C. Ashley Spencer grew up in the flamboyant and artistic city of New Orleans. She still has a strong connection to her hometown. She has lived in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia for over 35 years with her husband, Peter, where their their two adult sons, Piers and Jackson were raised. She began her illustration business, The Occasional Palette, in 1988 when her oldest son was an infant. She has enjoyed painting murals and decorative and faux finishes, as well as collaborating with clients in the design process and for professional paint and curated art consultations. She attributes her success to her talented art teachers, her study and appreciation of art history, and her strong background in drawing–from which every good painting derives.

While continuing to use CASART based on the CAS initials of her name + art (CASART = Casa+Art = art for your home), she formed Casart Coverings, LLC in January 2009 as a way to reproduce her decorative finishes and murals to be printed on durable wallcoverings that are repositionable, removable and reusable, like “Slipcovers for your walls” (casartblog). This allows for an easy, do-it-yourself installation without any extra labor cost, mess and necessary permanency of traditional wallpaper. Casart Coverings offer a practical and sustainable way for seasonal or long term interior design solutions. Varieties of original hand painted finishes are available through the website link above and on top-bar links on the main pages on this site. Designs can be color customized. Click this link to learn more about this eCommerce company.

Casart Décor was launched in November 2012 as a means to offer more decorative “slipcovers (beyond just) your walls” — for pillows and all your decorating desires. This is a building block for future items like furniture, curtains and other decorative accessories so when decorating your space, you can “simply, just slipcover it!” Since this time, so many more decorative items that coordinate with Casart removable wallpaper are now offered in the Casart Society6 Shop.

Among past experience: worked at National Gallery of Art–Design & Installation Department, National Gallery Of Women in the Arts–Exhibition Design Department, & Scenic Painter at Arena Stage. The graphic artist and illustrator for Consumers’ Research Magazine for 15 years. Graduate of The University of the South (Sewanee) with a degree in Art History and minor in Fine Art. Studied at Parsons in Paris and Corcoran Gallery of Art School, D.C., with continuing education at The Torpedo Art League School, Alexandria, Virginia and area workshops.

Professional Memberships with CADA (Capital Area Decorative Artisans) and IDAL (International Decorative Artisans League) and an ASID Industry Partner.

Personal: She is a former president of her civic group, The Upper King Street Neighborhood Association (UKSNA). Her other volunteer activities have included: Twig (non-profit auxiliary for Alexandria Inova Hospital/Sustaining member), support volunteer for Pregnant with Cancer Network, past school board member of Grace Episcopal School, and a parishioner of Grace Episcopal Church. She has served on the King Street Metro Task Force and is a founding member of the King Street Gardens Park Foundation.

Click here to read a personal profile of the Artist & Her Home Studio.

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