(Ashley Sanson)

These Little Piggies Went to Market

by Pam North

In a nice little studio space in her very old basement, self-taught Indiana artist, Ashley Sanson, makes  miniature needle-felted animal characters, foods, and many other tiny items. 
Her latest creation, After All Fall Market Scene, featuring the Von-Oink Family, is an amusing vignette combining cute little pigs with ambience of the fall season. “I love the Beatrix Potter-like quality of animals in human situations and with human mannerisms,” Ashley explained. “I really love autumn, and I had the idea of creating a little fall scene with a quaint market and miniature characters.”
The piece almost entirely was made by hand. Ashley’s husband made the diorama box for her, after which she painted in the background, and fashioned the trees and brick walk. She also made the pumpkins and other vegetable items, and the vegetable stand. The baskets, table, and cash register had been purchased previously over the years. Materials used for the scene itself were wood, Paper Clay, polymer clay, and acrylic paint. The amusing piglets were needle-felted, a technique using wool roving that is wrapped  and sculpted around a wire armature, then hand-painted with accents of glass beads added. Each of the pigs took several hours to complete. 
The most difficult part of the scene for her were the trees, as she explained, “I’ve been at this for a while, but this was my first time making miniature trees, and they were very tedious!” Her perseverance proved successful, however, as the final piece turned out exactly as she had envisioned. Her favorite part of the piece were the little pigs. “They were the most fun to create, she said. “Their little faces just came to me as I was brain-storming, and they just melted my heart!”
Ashley does not plan to sell the piece, preferring to keep it for display.  
Making miniatures is a joy for her. “I think that the escapism is the most alluring part; being able to create your own world or realm where there is a story all its own is awesome. It’s the closest thing to magic that we can create all on our own.” 
As for what’s next for her and her creations, she  plans to create a line of minis to offer for sale in her Etsy shop, and she’s working on a collection of art dolls with Halloween and Christmas themes. “My hope is to spread my love of tiny things as far into the world as possible. I’m thrilled to be able to share my creations with other enthusiasts, and I hope to inspire others to take a chance and try a new skill. You never know what you can do if you don’t try!” 

Contact information: 
Business name: After All Art by Ashley 
Email: amsanson@outlook.com 
Phone: (574) 253-3605 
Address:202 W. 2nd St., North Manchester IN 46962