Meet the Vendor: Laura Ashley Live Art
By Sarah Hurley
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Left to right: Laura Ashley poses with some of her favorite performance paintings. |
If you’ve been keeping up with Minkology’s social media pages and bi-monthly newsletter, you’ll know that we’re knee-deep in gearing up for our early 4th of July Celebration. On June 28th from 1:00 – 5:00 PM, we’ll be closing down North Street for loads of family fun, joined by the Old Richmond Grill food truck, local band Danny & the Whizzlsnakes, and one more very special guest—Laura Ashley from Laura Ashley Live Art!
Known for her reputation as North Carolina’s speed painter, Laura paints large statement pieces to entertain audiences at special events across the country. A local artist (attention, Asheboro High School, class of ’08!) with a long history of collaborating with Minkology, Laura is excited to be joining us once more this Independence Day in Downtown Asheboro.
Although Laura has always been creative, she didn’t begin taking her art seriously until attending the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where she eventually graduated with a bachelor’s degree in studio art. After several years of teaching high school art and operating her own paint and sip studio in Southern Pines, NC, Laura finally found her full-time passion: live artwork. In 2020, when her studio began struggling financially due to the Covid-19 shutdown, she decided to market herself as a live wedding painter to help make ends meet. She figured, “If I had been painting in front of people [at my studio] for that long, I could definitely paint at weddings.”
However, when the Petty Family Foundation asked her to paint at their first event following the Covid-19 shutdown mandate in 2021, where she produced a portrait of Richard Petty in under an hour for him to sign and auction off, she realized she enjoyed special events more than weddings. At that event, she met ten people who booked her immediately to paint for their own events, which snowballed into speed-painting and larger stages, officially birthing Laura Ashley Live Art.
Several years ago, Laura rented a small studio space in one of Minkology’s (then Vintage Cottage's) back rooms. She loved working with the shop because they “supported me in all ways, open to my crazy ideas,” she says, and offered a place to experiment with her service and develop her products. When she began to travel more for work, she and her husband realized it would be more practical to move her studio space back home, but we’re thrilled to host her speed-painting act at our 4th of July blast later next month!
When asked to describe the speed-painting process, Laura laughs. “I go in with a game plan, but half the time I rebel against my own game plan, ha! It's more about relying on your experience and ability—and shifting into a ‘don't think, just do’ mindset for me.” Blending the principles and elements of design she learned in college with intuitive artistic spirit and her natural athletic inclination, she is able to complete high-quality pieces at a remarkably quick pace.
Some of her fun speed-painting stats are as follows:
1) Fastest painting: Ninety seconds during a timeout at an Appalachian State Football game!
2) Most money received for a single painting: $16,000.
3) Favorite project: 2026 ACC Men's Basketball Championship Game Halftime Show with Carolina Mic, performed in less than four minutes and forty-five seconds for her largest crowd and most televised event yet.
4) Over $300,000 raised for charity through Laura Ashley Live Art.
Down the road, Laura hopes to do “all the things” with her business: podcast, painting tour, published books, television appearances, apparel collabs, “whatever’s next on the career bingo card.” But for now, she’s focused on maintaining momentum at her current level and working to balance work and family life with her husband, their toddler, and their animals at home. When she’s not working, she also loves making sourdough and reading the Bible.
“Richard Petty and Dolly Parton are two of my biggest influences,” Laura tells me, “and I see myself working in some form or fashion until the day I die—so, ironically, I'm looking at this career as a marathon instead of a sprint. Keeping it going is the goal—while bringing joy and value to others.”
Connect with Laura Ashley via Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, or her online shop.