St. George artist brushes her way around town through murals, portraits and stage sets

Written by Jessi Bang
May 25, 2022

IVINS — From perfectly depicted portraits to full theater stage sets and even detailed wall murals, one St. George artist is painting her way into every performing arts studio in town, one brushstroke at a time.

Artist Ashlie Davenport smiles for a photo against the red rocks of Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Ivins, Utah, May 17, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News
Artist Ashlie Davenport smiles for a photo against the red rocks of Tuacahn Amphitheatre, Ivins, Utah, May 17, 2022 | Photo by Jessi Bang, St. George News

Artist Ashlie Davenport has handpainted an array of items, from wizard-themed bedrooms to larger-than-life hairspray cans, and she’s not stopping now. Through her background in musical theater, an artistic grandfather and experienced teachers at Dixie State, she dialed in her versatile artistic talent, which is now featured all over St. George.

Davenport told St. George News she got into art as sort of a “happy happenstance.” Starting at a very young age, she found herself drawn to all sorts of creative mediums. From coloring to drawing, she often would embellish her homework with doodles. Transitioning to portrait sketches, then broadening her artistic talents into painting, Davenport attributes much of her talent to her grandfather.

Gerald Olson, Davenports’ grandfather, was a talented artist who taught art history, oil painting, watercolor and photography at Dixie State University. Davenport said receiving mini art lessons from him at a young age allowed her to learn the foundation of art fundamentals. He taught her everything from perspective drawing to color theory and even provided lessons on painting watercolor trees while encouraging experimental play with her current drawings. While they shared a love for art, Davenport said her grandfather mostly focused on landscapes while she loved drawing portraits. 

Captain America in prismacolor by Ashlie Davenport, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News
Captain America in Prismacolor by Ashlie Davenport, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News

Davenport’s formal art education began in high school with AP art classes, including an oil painting class by Stephen Jones, which gave her the opportunity to work with different mediums such as acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, Prismacolor, graphite and oil. She said she also dabbled into acrylic and landscapes, which she did not like at first, but eventually led to an essential part of her art when commissioned to do murals. She also enrolled in a few art classes offered  by Del Parson, including advanced figure drawing and oil painting.

“Being around people who are just as talented, if not more, really pushed me to be better,” Davenport said about the art classes. “That’s how my love of art came to be.”

While heavily involved as a performer in musical theater, Davenport said she was performing at the Hurricane Theatrical Company for an upcoming show, “Shriek the Musical,” when she learned the organizers needed sets and props painted. As she and a friend painted the set together, they learned through trial and error how to paint on a massive scale with limited product and time. That was the first stage set she ever had painted.

A mural painted in a train room by Ashlie Davenport features traintracks and outdoor scenery, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News
A mural painted in a train room by Ashlie Davenport features train tracks and outdoor scenery, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News

Davenport has painted sets for St. George Musical Theater, the Electric Theater, Kayenta Theater and Brigham’s Playhouse. She’s painted everything from cobblestone roads and bedroom sets to houses, kitchens, landscapes of all scales and even hairspray cans. She recently painted the stage set for “Spongebob” at Hurricane Theatrical Company along with “Freaky Friday” at Desert Hills High School. As she continues to hone her set-painting skills, she’s fascinated by what she could do to transform the stage.

Besides set painting, Davenport’s skills include murals. The first commissioned mural painted in a home was for a friend’s parents. She said the father had an affinity for trains and had developed an elaborate train room. He wanted the spaceto feature some famously recognizable landscapes in the background including the Arctic, Italian Dolomites, the Rocky Mountains, the Grand Canyon, Goblin Valley, Pine Valley and a small town.

She recently was commissioned to paint a wizard-themed room at a renovated home-turned retreat rental in Hildale and a golf mural at Birdie’s Golf lounge.

A faceless portrait in watercolor shows a family sitting on a couch, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News
A faceless portrait in watercolor shows a family sitting on a couch, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News

Davenport said she is working as a “child wrangler” for the Tuachan amphitheater. With a background in teaching gymnastics and swim lessons along with her performing arts career, she said working with the incredibly talented youth at Tuachan has been a perfect fit. 

Davenport said she would like to create and develop her own style with a few giant oil pieces to possibly put in some local galleries. She said that while revealing your art to the public can be an intimidating venture, she encouraged other artists to break out of their shells. She said whether the art is sold is not the point; it’s about self-expression, which is why she has been so drawn to it.

A home in Hildale features a wizard-themed room commissioned by Ashlie Davenport, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News
A home in Hildale features a wizard-themed room painted by Ashlie Davenport, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashlie Davenport, St. George News

“In performing or fine art, people have the mentality that it needs to be perfect or flawless in order for people to appreciate it,” Davenport said. “When we get over the mentality of ‘this needs to be like someone else’s,’ or, ‘this needs to be perfect,’ we allow ourselves to express what it is that we want to say and what it is that we have to offer. That uniqueness can’t be copied.”

Davenport said many people assume artists are born with talent, but for her, it was more of a developmental process that led her to where she is now. While she is commissioned to paint murals and musical production sets, she still considers herself a portrait artist and enjoys doing family and portrait art. This unique ability to encapsulate her love for people, faces and personalities into art has become one of her favorite things. 

“What you have to say and what you have to offer is different as a human being, and I think that’s very life-applicable as well,” Davenport said. “Don’t be afraid of the journey, be appreciative of it.” 

For more information on Ashlie Davenport and her art, follow her on Instagram.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jessi Bang was born and raised in Utah and has a passion for nature and the great outdoors. She graduated from Kaplan University in California with a degree in criminal justice. She has extensive experience in marketing, content creation, photography and copywriting. You can find her showcasing outdoor adventures through her blog, “The Rambling Raccoon.” In her free time, she enjoys climbing mountains, trail running, working out and cuddling her two lovable pups.

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Twitter: @STGnews

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