BY SUZY STUMP for WEEKLY VOLCANO 05/02/25:
Ashley Laufer has been creating art for as long as she can remember. But it was a watercolor painting of dogwood flowers in high school that made her first feel like a true artist. The 24×36-inch piece was selected for the school’s student show, where it quickly caught the eye of her language arts professor. He bought the painting on the spot. Laufer said the experience was a huge confidence boost — one that propelled her to seriously pursue art as a career.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Laufer moved to Tacoma about ten years ago and found an instant sense of belonging in the local creative community. “Tacoma is a beautiful city,” she said. “I have felt very accepted by the art scene and continue to network with local art groups.” The connections she’s made here have fueled her work, and the encouragement she’s received has kept her inspired.
When it comes to Laufer’s creative process, inspiration can strike anywhere. A passionate houseplant collector — particularly of carnivorous plants — she often draws from their alien shapes. From rough pencil sketches of women’s faces nestled among the plants, she transfers her ideas to a digital drawing tablet to finalize the outline. After printing it to size, she uses graphite transfer paper to move the image onto canvas, painting it by hand while occasionally using her tablet to experiment with color schemes.
One theme that comes up again and again in her work is the human face. Laufer’s background in studying human anatomy during college continues to shape her approach to portraiture today. “The symmetry of moths and butterflies reminds me of the symmetry of the human face,” she explained, noting that she often incorporates these creatures into her paintings alongside lush plants and foliage.
Sometimes, her work surprises even her. One afternoon, she received a round piece of watercolor paper in an art subscription box and decided to casually paint a strawberry. That small 4×4 painting ended up being submitted to a juried show in New York — and to Laufer’s surprise, it won first place in the gallery’s choice awards. “I was not expecting the little strawberry to become an award-winning piece of art,” she said. “It was a very proud moment.”
Many of Laufer’s paintings feature people she knows personally, a hidden detail most viewers would never guess. She often uses friends as reference models, adding a layer of intimacy and personal connection to her work.
Her early artistic influences included the neon-splashed world of Lisa Frank, whose colorful imagery sparked Laufer’s imagination as a child. Later, her college advisor became an even more important influence, teaching her to “trust the process” and to see art not just as a practice, but as an extension of herself.
When people experience her work, Laufer’s greatest hope is to inspire them. Sometimes, the connection between viewer and piece is immediate. One painting, Smoke Break, has resonated with many visitors who told her, “This reminds me of someone I know.” In fact, more than eight people have purchased prints of Smoke Break as gifts for friends, touched by the emotional link the image stirred.
Looking ahead, Laufer is preparing for her first solo show, opening this August at Barlow Gallery in downtown Tacoma. It’s an exciting milestone that will give her the opportunity to showcase her evolving body of work — a celebration of faces, foliage, and the invisible threads that connect us all.
From the halls of her high school art show to the bright lights of a New York gallery, and now to the heart of Tacoma’s creative scene, Ashley Laufer’s journey has been one of growth, gratitude, and community. In her hands, even the smallest idea — a plant, a face, a strawberry — can bloom into something that touches the lives of others.
For more information visit misslaufer.com or follow her on Instagram @misslaufer.
Artist Ashley Laufer works at Artco Framing & Gallery
on 6th Ave as the Gallery Curator and her work is
featured on the cover of this issue of Weekly Volcano.
PHOTO BY MALEAH GREGG
