Ashley & Austin met in 2014 and immediately hit the road rambling. From their first date camping at a local state park, travel, art, and alternative living formed the core of their relationship.
They found any way to live close to nature and their dreams – in a tent in the desert, in an off grid cabin on the Oregon coast, in basements, campers on organic farms, cabins hidden in a forest.
Today they live in a camper they call Stella in Arizona. Austin is a fine artist specializing in contemporary paintings inspired by nature. Ashlye is an illustrator and writer inspired by bright colors and the secret world of nature.
Pictured to the left are Austin, Ashley, and their dog Sparky in 2018 on their wedding day next to their camper at the time, Leo.
Our Story
Adventures Across started the day we took our car across the Wild West, calling a tent and the back seat home. We left society and the expectations of the world behind to find ourselves in the heart of nature. We explored national parks. Picked up photography. Got lost on forest roads. Met a geologist and panned for gold. Eventually, we found ourselves on the Oregon Coast living in an off grid cabin and created our first studio.
Mission & Vision
Our intention is to cultivate wonder through nature inspired art, stories and exploration. Adventures Across is a journey across space and time exploring nature, consciousness and the human self.
We plan to continue on with our rambling and art creation to inspire wonder and awe. Our goal is to spend a few months of the year traveling to new places and creating more art and reflections to share. We are outfitting our truck and servicing our camper one step at a time until we are ready to go!
Values
WONDER
NATURE
CURIOSITY
CREATIVITY
EXPLORATION
GROWTH
makes us feel alive
gives us freedom and inner peace
asking questions leads to unexpected answers
creating art makes us feel closet to ourselves and each other
getting lost in nature and wandering around shows us new things and inspires art
we feel life is best lived through experiences and personal growth that follows
Meet the Artists
Austin
Austin is a contemporary and abstract painter inspired by the landscapes he travels through, nature, music, and living easy.
His choice of medium is acrylic on canvas, sometimes adding foil or glitter touches.
His philosophy in life is to live in the present moment & to keep a simple life style.
His favorite painting is a 4’x5′ birch forest he created in a cabin in the woods in Western Wisconsin.
Pictured is Austin in 2016 painting a piece he calls “Crater Lake Owl” with our then-new doggo Sparky (aka Bobby).
Ashley
Ashley was born a creative person, learning piano at age six and always creating something.
It wasn’t until she met Austin and started traveling that she found out the arts were calling. She’s written dozens of songs, hundreds of poems, countless paintings. All inspired by the smaller details of nature, our connection to it through consciousness, and the experiences of living alternatively.
She paints with gouache and gel pens. Writes music with acoustic instruments. Hand writes poetry and sci-fi novels before self publishing them. Creates films of their lifestyle and adventures.
Ashley is inspired by the bright colors of nature, the cosmos, the stars, flowers, symbolisms, and the “what if’s?” of existence.
Her favorite paintings are her “Effigy Mounds” series show casing the sacred sites of the Midwest and native wildflowers.
Pictured is Ashley writing on her tree desk in the forest nearby the cabin in Wisconsin, 2022.
Our Creative Process
We like to keep our life minimalist and as portable as possible. Ashley keeps a simple paint kit in a wooden box nearby at all times, with sketchbooks and journals within reach.
Austin paints outside in the various places he finds himself in, using unique tools like a leaf blower to addd interesting textures. Sometimes he grabs a sketchbook and markers to make unique sketches.
Most of the time, we create on our couch in the camper Stella with a candle lit on the counter and sunsets blanketing the sky out our windows.
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