I'm Ashley Hayunga, and I am an artist based in Rutland, Vermont. I am originally from the beautiful Hudson valley region of New York, growing up and living there most of my life. My parents recognized that I had a particular talent for drawing from the time I was very young. They often tell a story of when I was a child, and somehow managed to draw a fully detailed rendering of a sailboat: on an Etch-a-sketch. Before I was even in high school, they took me to college portfolio reviews, and signed me up for drawing and painting classes with our local youth arts program called The Art Effect. My instructor there, Todd Poteet, saw my artistic skills as clearly as my parents did, and helped to foster confidence in my own abilities that I had not yet realized. I will forever be grateful to my parents and Todd for believing in me before I believed in myself, and helping to open my eyes so I could finally see for the first time: I am an artist. 
I attended art school at the University of Hartford, and graduated in 2014 with my bachelor's degree in illustration and painting. By the time I finished college, I already had my first published children's book out on the market (titled "Jennie Jenkins"), which at the time was the highest honor in my early career. I then went on to teach art to young children for three wonderful summers at The Art Effect. I also instructed some paint and sip events, completed many commissioned illustrations for clients, and ran a personal online business selling my own handmade posable dolls for about six years.