Gilded Ashes

Indie artist specializing in wildlife, pet portraits, and fantasy art

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Marley

Marley here is available for adoption! If you're in or near Alberta, Canada and in the market for a new buddy, go meet him and his friends at HelpBarks ♥

I'm participating in ArtFight under my professional name/art style, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a proper portrait to hopefully help some good boys n girls find some very good homes ♥  Also decided to use it as an excuse to practice some digital painting, as it's become much more accessible than traditional media in the current living arrangement, which is also part of why it's been so hard to keep up with this account. Hopefully this will make it a little bit easier to share some work! Done in Rebelle 8 Art © GildedAshes

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I think we might be back….

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Artist Wrapped: 2022

Found this fun meme from Sabattons on twitter! Didn't get to do much this year, but hopefully next!

Posted using PostyBirb

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Harmony Series - Framed!

These lovely noodles are ready for new homes! First time varnishing any painting, never mind watercolors! I think they came out beautifully <3 Currently running a 15% holiday sale on my store, and the "Harmony" series originals are available! https://gildedashes.com/store

Posted using PostyBirb

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HOLIDAY SALE!!! - Dec 12-18

It's the most wonderful time of the year~ Holiday sale is a go! 15% off your entire order from Dec 12 to 18 with code HOLIDAY2022. Don't forget, the sooner you order, the more likely it will arrive in time for Christmas! https://gildedashes.com/store

Posted using PostyBirb

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Serengeti Prince

Decided on a whim to do a piece of a kudu, to try something small I could do in a few sittings after finishing the Harmony series. I can't even tell you why I picked kudu, but I love all African antelope species, so why not! 8.5x11 colored pencil, 2022 Prints and original available!

Posted using PostyBirb

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Harmony IV: Chilobothris striatus

The Dominican or Hispaniolan red mountain boa is a semiarboreal snake that can reach 4-6 ft as adults. While usually a rich rust brown, some individuals can be a remarkable bright orange or blood red! 

And with that, the series is finally done! It took way longer than I hoped, and was extremely trying at times, but I am incredibly proud of the results and I learned a lot about my watercolor technique. 

 5x5 watercolor on Aquabord. 2022. 

Prints available here, and original available soon (currently waiting to be varnished)!

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Harmony III: Gonyosoma oxycephalum

Considering how stereotypical and almost cartoonish the idea of a snake being green often is, the real ones can be some of the most stunningly beautiful of all. 

The red-tailed green rat snake is native to Southeast Asia and may reach up to almost 8 ft (2.4m). These little living emeralds flatten their neck out to intimidate predators, much like a cobra - but sideways!⁠ ⁠ Finally past the halfway point on this series! Only one more to go~⁠ ⁠ 5x5 watercolor⁠. Prints available here!⁠⁠

Art (c) Alexandria Hayes⁠

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Forgot to post the first WIP earlier, so have a double! Next piece in the Harmony series is coming along nicely 💖🐍🌸

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Harmony II: Trimeresurus insularis

Despite what the countless photoshopped Google image results suggest, truly blue snakes are rare. And of the few that do exist, this isolated population of Trimeresurus insularis, the Sunda Island pit viper, is by far one of the most striking.⁠⁠What's the rarest or most unusual animal you've ever seen?⁠

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Harmony I: Morelia spilota

This jungle carpet python is the first of a four-part series highlighting the most misunderstood animals in the world, with some complementary colored flowers to make their beauty really stand out.

Any other snake fans out there? What's your favorite species?

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Invisible

We are here, whether you choose to see us or not.

5x7 chalk pastel on paper. 2021

Original 

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Wild at Heart

“I always knew my time with Charlie was fleeting. I always knew it was a once in a lifetime experience, and I didn’t take one moment for granted. Every single time he howled, I stopped what I was doing and reveled in the song – even if I was on the phone, even if Mike and I were in the middle of a conversation, even if I was in the middle of writing a sentence. Every day was a special day because it was a day with Charlie. Every night, I didn’t fall asleep until Charlie came in and curled up next to me. Every time I saw him, I smiled. Every photograph was a gift. This is not hyperbole – this is why I started taking pictures with him on our very first day together, and this never changed, not as days became weeks and weeks became months and months became years and the years went well beyond a decade. I never took one day, one smile, one song for granted. Every single one was a treasure. And I got to be with Charlie for nearly fourteen years, longer than I ever dreamed.”

- Shreve Stockton The Daily Coyote

Memorial portrait of Charlie the coyote, commissioned as a gift for Shreve Stockton of The Daily Coyote.

9x12 watercolor on board. 2021.

Original in a private collection || Prints - $10 of each sale donated to charity

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The Feathered Serpent

Known as Ququmatz to the Ki'che, Ehecatl to the Huastecs,  Kukulkan to the Maya, and most famously, Quetzalcoatl to the Aztecs, he is the god of the wind and rain, wisdom and knowledge, agriculture and the arts. He is the inventor of the calendar and the creator of the world itself.

11x17 colored pencil. 2019.

Original || Prints

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The Serpent King

He is the river, the forest, the cobra; the necklace around the goddess' neck; protector of the precious, guardian of the divine. His enemies watch him from the shadows, under his watchful eye themselves, but never quite able to reach him.  He has the power to burn lives away from within, but he chooses mercy, surrounded by gold, treasure, and the love and loyalty of his kingdom.

8x10 graphite and white charcoal on gray toned paper. 2019.

Original || Prints

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Retribution

Sometimes our sacrifices are made in vain, but we must not let the injustice of it all consume us.

9x12 mixed media. 24kt gold leaf. 2019.

Original in a private collection || Prints

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King of the Wind

His coat is fire. His hoofbeats are thunder. The sky is his kingdom.

5x7 watercolor and colored pencil. 2018.

Original || Prints