Choose a mood and the room itself answers — the light cools or warms, the air changes pace, and only the works that carry that feeling step forward from the dark. Everything else recedes into shadow.
Early Life and Career Born: Birmingham, United Kingdom (1746), baptized May 20, 1746 in St Martin's parish church. Parents: Richard Ashford. Moved to Dublin, Ireland, in 1764 at age eighteen. Initially worked in the Ordnance Office, checking armaments. Married around 1775; had two sons and one daughter. Early works included flower paintings and still lifes. Exhibited with the Society of Artists on William S
treet from around 1767. Development as a Landscape Painter From 1772, began exhibiting landscapes, receiving prizes at the Dublin Royal Society of Arts. Became a professional landscape painter after 1772. Emerged as the pre-eminent landscape painter in Ireland following Thomas Roberts' death in 1778. Lived in a house designed by James Gandon from around 1792. His style was influenced by painters such as Claude L…
