Curious is an intimate original oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, inspired by her son, Luke. His soft blonde hair is framed by a tangle of lush green leaves, set against a moody dark blue background that deepens the sense of intrigue.
Luke’s gaze is steady and full of wonder — the kind that makes you feel just as curious as he is, as though he’s about to ask a million questions. Each brushstroke captures both the innocence of childhood and the boundless imagination that fuels it.
Gentle layers of colour bring warmth to his skin, while the surrounding foliage creates a quiet connection to nature. The composition invites the viewer to pause, step into his world, and share in that spark of discovery.
Balancing softness with vibrancy, Curious lingers in the mind — a portrait of curiosity itself: fleeting, timeless, and deeply human.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2024
Floral Elegance by Ashleigh Ritchie is a close-up painted portrait of the artist’s daughter, Lily, her striking blue eyes holding the viewer’s gaze. Framed by an abundant crown of flowers, each petal and leaf is rendered with delicate precision, their soft colours glowing against a moody navy backdrop. The deep background adds a sense of quiet mystery, allowing Lily’s natural beauty and playful spirit to shine.
Every brushstroke captures both the fine detail of the florals and the gentle nuances of her expression — a balance of poise and light-hearted charm. The floral crown feels less like an accessory and more like an extension of her presence, a celebration of youth and vitality intertwined with nature’s elegance.
In this portrait, beauty is not simply observed; it’s felt — in the vibrancy of the blooms, the serenity of the gaze, and the harmonious blend of subject and setting. Floral Elegance is a tribute to the enduring grace of femininity, the joy of youth, and the timeless allure of floral adornment.
Original Board Size: 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame: 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed: 2025
This portrait of sisters Maeve and Neve captures their warmth, individuality, and close bond with the soft, expressive realism characteristic of Ashleigh Ritchie’s work. Inspired by a desire for an updated reflection of themselves, the painting brings out their personalities through subtle details in their eyes, smiles, and posture.
A delicate crown of pinks, whites, and soft greens frames their faces, blending botanical elements with portraiture in a way that is signature to Ritchie’s style. The flowers, carefully rendered with attention to light and texture, create a soft, ethereal quality that complements the realistic yet modern depiction of the sisters.
The composition is intimate and balanced, with a muted, atmospheric background that allows the figures and floral details to remain the focus. True to Ritchie’s approach, this work merges contemporary portraiture with natural elements, capturing not only likeness but the evolving spirit, joy, and personality of Maeve and Neve.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2024
This portrait of Isla by Ashleigh Ritchie reflects the same contemporary style, offering a close perspective that highlights her expression with clarity and warmth. Painted in oil, the work builds softness and depth through layered brushwork, while the flowers are woven through the composition in an effortless, natural way. They sit almost like a crown, yet remain loose and organic, enhancing rather than overpowering her presence.
The balance of detail and floral form gives the piece a calm strength. It is a portrait that feels both modern and enduring, where individuality is celebrated through a thoughtful blend of realism and nature’s quiet beauty.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2024
This portrait of Matilda by Ashleigh Ritchie captures a contemporary take on traditional portraiture. Painted in oil, the work draws the viewer close, focusing on expression and detail. Soft tones and layered brushwork bring warmth to her features, while flowers frame the composition in a way that feels natural and unforced—more organic than a crown, yet still carrying a sense of grace.
The combination of realism and floral elements gives the piece both intimacy and presence. It’s a portrait that feels personal and grounded, with the flowers adding a timeless touch while keeping the overall work modern and fresh.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2024
Innocent Reverie is an original oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, inspired by her daughter, Lily. Painted in profile, her expression is calm yet quietly radiant — the kind of gentle confidence that lingers in childhood moments when the world feels both vast and close. Her golden curls spill softly over her shoulder, strands catching light like threads of honey.
Crowning her head is an intricate arrangement of flowers and foliage, each chosen and painted with intention. Bold turquoise petals press forward with vitality, while deep red textures ground the composition with warmth and depth. Pale white blooms, clusters of ochre-yellow, and spirals of green foliage weave together into a crown that feels both earthly and otherworldly — a living emblem of imagination and growth. The moody navy backdrop amplifies her stillness, inviting the viewer to pause and lean into her quiet presence.
Delicate streaks of burnished gold break across the canvas edges, their irregular shimmer suggesting time’s passage and the fragile nature of memory. They act almost like a frame within the painting, reminding us that this portrait, though timeless in feeling, captures a fleeting season of life.
In Innocent Reverie, Ashleigh weaves together the intimacy of motherhood with her fascination for nature and symbolism. The painting does not simply depict Lily but suspends her in a moment between innocence and becoming — a child held within the dreamlike space of growth, wonder, and imagination.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2023
Toffee & Her Autumn Crown is an original oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, capturing the bright charm and playful elegance of a young Cocker Spaniel. Toffee, with her soft golden coat and curious gaze, wears a crown woven from the colours of autumn — burnt orange leaves, deep red petals, and clusters of ochre berries, each one painted with patient, deliberate care.
Her eyes, dark and glistening, hold both innocence and a spark of mischief, as though she’s moments away from bounding into a game or curling up in your lap. The fine strands of her long ears flow gently into the green backdrop, creating a sense of depth that frames her face like the final light of a crisp autumn afternoon.
Rather than a formal pose, Toffee’s slight head tilt invites you into her world — one of rustling leaves, cool breezes, and the simple joy of being outdoors. The composition feels alive, yet intimate, honouring both her youthful spirit and the fleeting beauty of the season she wears so proudly.
A portrait of joy, nature, and companionship, Toffee & Her Autumn Crown is as much about the moment as the muse — a celebration of the way animals make ordinary days feel golden.
Original Board Size: 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame: 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed: 2024
Moss & Bone by Ashleigh Ritchie is a painted portrait of a deer, its antlers adorned with moss and delicate ferns, a symbol of the quiet majesty of New Zealand’s native forests. Its soft, watchful eyes hold a gentle curiosity, inviting the viewer into a serene and almost mystical woodland moment.
Every detail — from the textured fur to the intricate moss and curling fern fronds — is rendered with careful, deliberate attention, bringing the tactile beauty of the forest into the composition. The earthy palette of greens, browns, and soft golden light evokes the lush, shaded world of Aotearoa’s bush, where every leaf and tendril contributes to a sense of depth, life, and natural harmony.
Rather than a posed scene, the deer feels alive and present, a quiet witness to the stillness of the forest. Moss & Bonecelebrates the delicate balance of wildlife and nature, capturing the wonder of New Zealand’s moss- and fern-filled landscapes and the serene grace of the creatures that inhabit them.
Painted by Ashleigh Ritchie, this work is a tribute to the gentle magic of New Zealand’s bush and its quiet, watchful inhabitants.
Original Board Size: 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame: 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed: 2025
Luke’s Starry Night is an oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, painted on a wood panel. The work captures a whimsical nocturnal scene, with soft brushstrokes and luminous swirls of deep blues and golden highlights, portraying Luke reaching for a star in a magical sky.
The composition balances imagination and tenderness, with the wood panel’s texture adding depth and warmth to the intimate, dreamy scene. The gentle light and celestial tones evoke wonder, curiosity, and the limitless possibilities of childhood dreams.
Through Luke’s Starry Night, Ashleigh reflects on the beauty of imagination, the quiet magic of night, and the joy of celebrating even the smallest dreamers.
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade watercolours on fine art paper. Each original is crafted with care to preserve the subtle transparency, luminosity, and delicate detail of the medium.
With Black Pine Frame – 500mm x 350mm
Completed - 2024
Whispers of Innocence is an original oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, capturing the bright, thoughtful presence of Lily. Her soft features and striking blue eyes are framed by a flowing cascade of hair, each strand rendered with meticulous care. Above her, a lush arrangement of roses in soft pinks, creams, and warm oranges creates a sense of gentle beauty and quiet wonder.
The composition balances realism with a dreamy, almost surreal quality, drawing the viewer into a world of innocence and reflection. The interplay of light, shadow, and colour across Lily’s face and the flowers adds depth and emotion, emphasizing the tender curiosity and imaginative spirit of childhood. Every element is painted to evoke a feeling of intimacy and connection, inviting the viewer to pause and linger.
Through this work, Ashleigh Ritchie celebrates the fleeting, delicate moments of early life. Lily’s calm yet inquisitive gaze anchors the painting, while the intricate textures and rich hues convey a sense of joy, warmth, and wonder. Whispers of Innocence is a celebration of childhood, painted with sensitivity, care, and a deep appreciation for the beauty in small, everyday moments.
Original Board Size - 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame - 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed - 2023
Noble is an intimate original oil painting by Ashleigh Ritchie, celebrating the quiet strength and gentle heart of her loyal black Labrador–Springer Spaniel cross, Zeus. At ten years old, Zeus carries himself with a noble presence — the kind that only comes from years of companionship, shared adventures, and steadfast love.
Emerging from a frame of soft, green leaves, his deep brown eyes meet the viewer with a calm, unwavering gaze. There’s a story in those eyes — of muddy walks, sunny afternoons, and countless moments where no words were needed to feel understood. His sleek black coat, touched with silver-grey wisps, is painted with delicate, layered brushstrokes, each one capturing the play of light across the curves of his face and the familiar texture of his fur.
The surrounding foliage adds a sense of intimacy and stillness, as though we’ve caught him in a quiet moment of watchfulness, yet his presence radiates warmth. The composition draws you in, inviting you to pause and see not just a dog, but a lifelong friend — a guardian, a confidant, and a soul with as much depth as any human portrait.
Balancing realism with tenderness, Zeus is more than a likeness; it’s a love letter to the enduring bond between a dog and their human — steadfast, timeless, and irreplaceable.
Original Board Size: 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame: 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed: 2024
Flora & Freckles captures the bright charm and playful elegance of a young girl adorned with a crown of blooms. Her wide, curious eyes glimmer with both innocence and mischief, hinting at the joy and wonder of childhood.
The floral crown, painted with rich autumnal tones and delicate detail, frames her face like the gentle light of a crisp afternoon, drawing you into her world of imagination and discovery. Every petal and leaf is rendered with careful, deliberate care, enhancing the sense of depth and life in the composition.
Rather than a formal pose, her subtle smile and lively gaze invite connection — a moment of joy frozen in time, celebrating the whimsical spirit of youth and the natural beauty surrounding her.
A portrait of charm, nature, and warmth, Flora & Freckles is as much about the feeling it evokes as the subject herself — a celebration of lighthearted moments and the beauty of everyday wonder.
Original Board Size: 600mm x 900mm
With Black Pine Frame: 650mm x 945mm
Original Painting
Hand-painted and signed by Ashleigh Ritchie, using high-quality, artist-grade oil paints on a prepared wood panel. Each original is crafted with care to ensure lasting beauty and depth of colour.
Completed: 2025
“The pull toward art has always been strong, and in 2023 I took the leap to become a full-time artist. It’s a career that can be rewarding, frustrating, joyous, and terrifying all at once—but I can’t imagine my life without it.
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