Stewart Ashlee was born in Detroit in 1929, and he spent summers at his grandparents’ cottage in Ontario. Throughout his childhood, Ashlee read adventure stories illustrated by N. C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle, among others. These stories and the vibrant illustrations fostered his equally vivid imagination, something he embraced in his artwork throughout his career. While in grade school, he was chosen to attend free Saturday morning art classes at the Detroit Institute of Arts, but most of his formal training was received later at Wayne State University in Detroit. Although he would spend his early adult life in other occupations, he always found time to pursue his first love, painting. In 1974, Ashlee moved to northern Michigan and made art his full-time career until he died in 2000.

In 2020, the Grand Valley State University Art Museum received a collection of Stewart Ashlee’s paintings, drawings, prints, sketchbooks, and photographs from his family.

Ashlee was initially drawn to landscapes early in his career but increasingly became known for his depictions of the human figure in social settings and intimate moments. At the heart of this collection is a unique group of over 800 Polaroid photographs, the majority of which are self-portraits of the artist and images of close friends and family members. Ashlee took these photographs at his home and studio in northern Michigan, where he staged himself and others in various poses and outfits. Preserved in binders and boxes as a go-to reference for the human figure, Ashlee used these as components for scenes he would eventually realize in paint. Having this entirety of Ashlee’s collection provides a unique insight into and documentation of the artist, his artistic practice, and personal relationships.

Explore more artwork by Stewart Ashlee

Explore Archival collections related to Ashlee at the GVSU Lemmen Library