Stanford Ashcraft was born is Southern California and lived in the hills of Northern California's wine country until his mid-teens.  His family moved to the Florida orange groves for about a year, then settled on a mountain in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina near Asheville where the air is infused with art culture and history.  He also has roots in the Appalachians and the rolling hills of Kentucky.  His love for southern landscapes is evident in his paintings.  Ashcraft's work is recognizable for its unique approach and dreamlike themes.

Stanford was classically trained at a time when classical training was unpopular.  He is an experienced printmaker that has produced block and intaglio limited-edition, hand-pulled prints.  Stanford has exhibited throughout the southeast, including 2 Rules Fine Art, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, and The Atlanta Arts Festival.

STATEMENTS

"My art is like slow afternoons and daydreams."           

"I was striving for a radiance not achieved with academic techniques and brushes. Once I discovered razors, it changed my approach to painting."

"The line between what is Real and Surreal is often blurred due to the encroachment of technology in our lives. What differentiates me from other Surrealists is that I work towards the believable, while most work towards that which is fantastical. It is funny that the results are often the same."                                                                                                          

~ S. Ashcraft