Inside The Imagination Studio Where Color Reigns

Remember that time your kindergarten teacher insisted the sky had to be blue and the grass had to be green? Ashley Green took that memory, added glitter, then tossed it out the window.

Welcome to The Imagination Studio, the Clarksburg inspiration oasis where creativity puts its feet on the furniture and everyone is totally fine with that.

I first met Ashley at one of her legendary wreath workshops many many moons ago. I arrived armed with zero expectations and left with a winter wonderland masterpiece plus a new artistic crush. Since then I have watched her studio turn into the place for kid and adaults who love diving into the craft cupboard.

What Makes The Imagination Studio Sparkle

• Big ideas inside small town walls // Contemporary art, social themes, and fearless conversations unfold in a sunlit space brimming with possibility.

• Camp magic without the mosquito bites // Summer Art Camps sell out faster than our breakfast burritos. Kids leave with messy hands, brave hearts, and a trunk full of projects that even the fridge door cannot handle.

• After school the studio turns into the coolest classroom in town // Kids splash colour on bold ideas while parents wish they had a spot at the table. Everyone heads home lit up like fireflies on espresso.

• Birthday parties that outshine sheet cake // Imagine your nine-year-old and fifteen besties making neon splatter canvases while you sip an oat milk latte in peace. Bliss.

Okay, now it’s time to dive into our Q and A. Let’s get into it!

What is the first piece of art you remember creating that made you think whoa I love this life?

I love this question! I was in Grade 1 and my class was making an underwater mural. I suggested we add glue to the bottom of the ocean and sand from our sandbox to take our mural to the next level. Instead of redirecting my idea, my teacher said yes (even though it was messy) and I have, to this day, I have never forgotten how it feels to have a creative idea supported at a young age during an art class. I love it when curious ideas can be explored. 

Before opening the studio, what were you creating? 

Children’s books! I had just finished writing, illustrating and publishing my second children’s book, Lady Sky. 

Your studio feels like a colour explosion. Which shade always lifts your mood and which one secretly drives you bonkers? 

I looooove colour. It’s like a first language to me, and I am really excited by colour relationships all day every day. I am always thinking about colour and see the world through a tetrachromatic lens. I also see colour in relationships with those around them, so I don’t often focus on or see one colour at a time. But if I have to pick a colour family, I love the world of purple. I’m also a total heartthrob for turquoise waters. Colour transparancy is a whole other level. I don’t love the colour orange unless it hangs out with hot pinks or vibrant magentas. Yellow I can be next level picky about too. Sometimes ick, sometimes it hits right. I used to drive a yellow VW Westfalia, so there's that. Annie Sloan- English Yellow, yes.

Kids often teach us as much as we teach them. What is the funniest or wisest thing a camper has said to you?

They really do! The teeter-totter of learning and teaching is always something I love and admire. Kids art is total magic! There are so many funny and wise moments that have truly touched my heart over the years. I often receive letters or cards from students sharing what meant most to them which I treasure. Potions class or Magic & Science Camp is a sure bet to whiz up some funny times. We joke about troll boogers, and goblin hair. Fart bombs, yep, we smelled those! We invent strange-flavoured things. I have programs where creativity just leaves the page entirely. It's not even on the page. As far as the wisest, I am always humbled when students can express what they want and need from their art. Whether it’s tuning into timing, when claiming their artwork is finished or when they ask for the support they want or when they can reflect upon what something in their artwork means something to them- it’s all so wise to me. I see a fearlessness in younger kids art. Developmentally that shifts around age 8-9 when they start to want to form ideas with more precision and realism. Those younger years are so magical to witness in the creative process when they are often fearless.

What is one unexpected art supply you cannot live without?

An electric pencil sharpener. Two words... game changer.

Tell us about a project that totally surprised you in outcome or impact. 

I have a class that pops up every few years that creates space for kids to paint really really big, and, in free form. It’s a total adventure in shape, colour, texture, scale and individual style. In one of these courses, I had the privilege of having a lovely pair of sisters join the class. The class was so inspiring, each week with students showing up and transforming their canvases into spaces for new ideas to land. It was artwork from the soul for the soul and I knew those paintings created space for those kids to take big creative risks and feel totally unlimited in their painting. One of my students in this class so sadly passed away. For me, that experience has truly taught me how children’s art can become a treasured memory. We make art at my studio with our hands. We mix up the paint, we brush it on, we create colours we love. It's a part of us we can share.

Finish this sentence: Art is the best way to ____.

… to be honest. Art reflects back to us our expectations, our desires, our wins, our struggles, our limited beliefs, our energy levels, our expanded ideas, our bravery. It shows us so honestly- if we are open to seeing it. 

What advice do you give a shy kid who is nervous to dip that first brush into paint? 

There are no mistakes and we are all in this together. It is safe to feel nervous and we can honour what shows up. We also get to choose how we feel about our art. The creative process is not an easy breezy linear experience. There are so many facets of bravery, self-doubt, disappointment, satisfaction, enjoyment that can present and evolve along the way. There is space for it all and students in my classes know and trust that I hold space for them though the creative process. That’s my zone of genius and it’s something I am always considering and conscious of. It’s an important part of my work as an art teacher even if it seems invisible at times. 

How do you recharge when the glitter settles and the brushes finally dry? 

You can find me in the forest almost every single day, even when it rains and even when it snows. You can also find me swimming in the lake day in and day out in the summer sun with my daughter. Mother Nature and I are besties.

Looking back, what advice would present day Ashley give to her younger artist self just starting out? 

I feel really lucky that my parents have always let me be an artist. And they have always encouraged me to follow my dreams. We set up a studio at home because there was nothing like The Imagination Studio when I was growing up. Having that support as child was such a gift and I am so grateful for it. I know that not all kids receive support or validation to cultivate the artist that lives in us all. I also know that making art in community is beautiful when done well and in a mindful container. We can learn so many wonderful things together.

I wouldn't tell my younger self anything. I would just giver her a really big hug.

Psst, Ashley, if you are reading this // thanks for turning Clarksburg into a technicolour dreamscape. Our walls are brighter because of you.

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Ready to let your imagination run wild? Pop over to The Imagination Studio, give Ashley a high five, and tell her Press Market sent you.

See the magic on Instagram @the.imaginationstudio 

Visit the website www.theimaginationstudio.net