Ashton Woods

ABOUT THE ARTIST

 

     Ashton Woods is a children's illustrator and author from Hershey, PA.  They earned their Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2018.

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     They began their drawing career in high school, being mostly self taught until college.  Stylistically, their main art inspirations come from artists such as Rebecca Sugar, Jhonen Vasquez, Cressida Cowell, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, Alex Hirsch, and Dana Terrace.

 

     Their favorite storytellers also include the artists above, as well as Eoin Colfer, C. S. Louis,  J. R. R. Tolkien, Rick Riordan, Brian Jacques, Lemony Snicket, Roald Dahl, K. A. Applegate, Kathryn Lasky, Suzanne Collins, and Markus Zusak.

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     Their love of storytelling comes from the countless books they devoured growing up.  Escaping to amazing, immersive worlds, Woods wants give the next generation of readers that same sense of adventure and wonder.

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     But it is about so much more than fun and fantasy.  There are endless things to be learned and experienced through art and stories and Woods wants to do with it all they can.  They want to make the world a better place through their work by inspiring future leaders and heroes and helpers.  They want to tell stories of love and acceptance, courage and determination, friendship and kindness.  About being true to yourself and not being afraid to show it to the world.

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     Specific stories Woods wants to bring to the spotlight are stories of POC, LGBTQIA+, and disabled people.  These people deserve to be seen and heard, both in books and in real life. 

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     Young readers, our children, and our children's children, and beyond, these are the people of the future.  These are the people who will lead others, save lives, help people, teach people, serve our communities, and be citizens of this beautiful pale blue dot of a planet we call earth.  These are the people who need these stories, these lessons, more than anyone else, because they will be our legacy when we are gone.  Let it be a legacy of adventure and wonder, full of the spirit of love and curiosity and fearlessness. 

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     Publishing art and stories is not just a creative outlet for Woods.  It is their whole outlook on life, their hope for the future.  Making the world a better place one book at a time.