"Fragments" — New Artworks by L.E. Ashley, October 3 through 24

  True Grit Art Gallery is pleased to present Fragments, a solo exhibition by Middleborough artist L.E. Ashley.

   A longtime favorite at the gallery, L.E. (Lori) Ashley has exhibited here regularly since 2020, and this new body of work continues her deeply personal exploration of memory, place, and the quiet details that linger.

  Ashley grew up in Middleborough drawing and writing stories. In the early 1980s she studied oil painting with Leland B. Smith on the third floor of the historic Peirce Building, where she spent hours watching summer storms roll in and studying the work of Andrew Wyeth and the Hudson River School painters. She later earned a degree in illustration from UMass Dartmouth. Her work concentrates on landscapes, abandoned properties, and animal portraits, often incorporating a tactile love of old wood, rusty metal, and other antique elements.

   In Fragments, Ashley turns her attention to those small, easily missed moments that make a person pause — a rooftop, a pairing of colors, a cloud formation, a fascinating texture. As she writes, these are not sweeping vistas, but “tiny snippets, almost unnoticeable,” that compel the viewer to slow down and see life in small, personal increments. Many of the works are vintage assemblages built around her oil paintings, some in miniature, designed to draw the passerby in for a private glimpse of nostalgia or hometown feeling. Her aim is to create that flicker of recognition: “Yes. I have been here once before, in a simpler time.”

   This exhibition is dedicated to the artist’s father, Jethro O. Ashley Jr. (June 28, 1928 – May 30, 2026).

  Ashley’s work is held in private collections across the United States and has been shown at artSPACE@16 in Malden, ArtsWorcester, the Cambridge Art Association, Gallery X in New Bedford, and True Grit Art Gallery. In 2024 she also juried the Nemasket Plein Air Show at True Grit.

Opening Reception

  Please join us for the Opening Reception on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet the artist and experience the full collection in person. Light refreshments will be served.

  Please note: On Saturday, October 3, the gallery will be closed during regular business hours and will open exclusively for the reception from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

  The exhibition remains on view through Saturday, October 24, 2026.

Gallery Hours
Tuesday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday – Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM  

📍 True Grit Art Gallery
38 Center Street
Middleboro, MA
truegritartgallery.com  

​  We hope you’ll join us for the opening reception and experience L.E. Ashley’s thoughtful and deeply felt new work.

The show will be posted online beginning Tuesday, October 6!

Go To Show