Ashley Bella
August 12, 2024: Ashley Deramola (who goes by Ashley Bella) is a muralist, commercial artist, entrepreneur, and fine artist who is proud to have grown up, in the East Point neighborhood of Atlanta, the current location of her studio. Her preferred medium is paint but occasionally utilizes other mediums such as clay. Her work speaks to many community topics like mental healthcare, community involvement, and human trafficking. Her background in Social work and advocacy drive the subject matter of many of her murals scattered throughout south Atlanta.
Ashley Bella grew up in Atlanta and has spent her whole career here. She graduated from Georgia State University and went to work in mental health, social work, and advocacy for victims of sex trafficking at City of Refuge, a faith based crisis center. In 2017 she quit her day job and pursued her dream of opening a studio where she hosts classes, events, and art therapy. She seeks to use art as a stress reliever and bring the message of those positive benefits to her community.
A savvy business woman, she started her art career with her last 50 bucks and a make it work attitude. She lived out of her trunk and started with paint parties because booking them got both money and leads for more parties. Then as the business developed she branched out into other art related events and maintained therapeutic art as the direction for the Artzy Bella enterprise.
Much of her work is devoted to promoting positive mental health and community outreach programs. It was her work in these organizations that ultimately led to her break into large scale art installations. Cultivating relationships along the way she was recommended for her first big project, a series 20th Anniversary murals for Wellspring, an agency serving victims of sexual exploitation. One of her murals is at the Delta training facility. She is also the first artist to paint a mural on the MLK center. Many of her other murals can be seen across Atlanta including, the Corner Grill restaurant, Virginia Avenue underpass in College Park, and the Deerwood Park Basketball court.
Link to Ashley Bella’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theashleybella/
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