Artist's Biography

Ashley Kingswell is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist based in Somerset, UK. Her work consists of various types of media such as gouache, graphite and Faber-Castell polychromos. Throughout her career Kingswell has refused to stick to a singular niche; instead, through art she explores different psychological states and emotions, in the themes of identity, performance, and atmosphere. 

As a child, Kingswell began her venture into the artist world with a focus into graphite - portraiture mainly. She would study faces, lighting, textures, and all minor details that were crucial to achieving realism.  Kingswell received a grade 8 in Fine Art GCSE when she was 16 years old, and since then has continued her practice self-taught.

After years working with graphite realism, Kingswell grew curious of the potential of other forms of media. In late 2023 she had been introduced to Faber-Castell polychromos, which marked a significant turning point in her practice. Kingswell's work had shifted from the small box it once was in, to a more colourful one. Original artworks such as Chicken were created with Faber-Castell polychromos as a result of her in depth practice with the medium. 

In October 2025, Kingswell began working under the name Unrealism, a name inspired by her affinity for realism art combined with her desire to expand into conceptual, more abstract works. Having used gouache briefly in her school years, Kingswell revisited the medium with the aim to combine abstraction with realism. Recent artworks such as 'Out of Step' and 'I'm Late For Home' portray themes of identity loss as well as performative ordinariness, ideas that resonate well with the artist.

Now in early 2026 her art continues to explore these themes, while allowing the natural change in her feelings and mentality to introduce newer, more relevant psychological ideas to her work. This is a space for trial and error, for imperfection, and for the endeavour to create something 'unreal'.