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Full Name: Ashley Gregory
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Salon: POP Nails
Preferred Nail Art Medium: Handpainting with polish and acrylic paints
Favorite Nail Trend: Graphic prints

Ashley

A small-town Wisconsin native, I made my way to Chicago in 2007 and immediately immersed myself in the art and culture of the big city. I’ve been creating nail art since that time, but have been a licensed professional for only four months. I’ve been lucky enough to see my work on the cover of NAILS Magazine, win International Nail Technician of the Year at America’s Beauty Show, and work toward opening my own nail studio in the coming months. I love to create freehand painted art that elicits delight and the ultimate compliment: “You PAINTED that?!?!”


Week 1: Dashing Diva

My design inspiration was naturally Erté/Art Deco. The Art Deco movement is one of my favorite design aesthetics, and living in Chicago, I am surrounded by famous architectural examples of this “Jazz Age” phenomenon. The Carbide & Carbon building was my inspiration, and I created a set of appliqués that echo the opulent, green terra cotta building with real 24k gold leaf accents that some say was designed to resemble a bottle of champagne.

Thinking about Spring/Summer 2014, I designed these nail appliqués for a woman attending a black-tie charity event, a girl anxiously getting ready for Prom, a woman who loves to add a vintage flair to her wardrobe, or a bride who wants “something blue” in her manicure.

The base of the design is a Wedgewood metallic, a beautiful light silver-blue that complements the silver, swirling deco designs on top. Each design is based on a real fixture or finish in and around the Carbide & Carbon building, which is now the Chicago Hard Rock Hotel. The blue metallic base color and the silver accents evoke the spirit of the Art Deco movement: creating beauty in everyday things.

The Art Deco movement is one of my favorite design aesthetics, and living in Chicago, I am surrounded by famous architectural examples of this “Jazz Age” phenomenon.

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