By Tori Couch
Photography by Crystal Wise
On the wall of Ashley Beebe’s in-home art studio hang several surrealist collage pieces.
The biggest one features a woman driving a car down the highway with words dotting the white sky. Hanging beside the canvas is the inspiration, a vintage-looking, black-and-white photo of another woman and a dog sitting in the front seat of a car.
“I need to put a top coat on this one so that it brings her to life,” Beebe says while examining the collage. “But I’ve learned I’m such a perfectionist, and I told my husband, I’m not doing people anymore. They make me too stressed.”
The organized, perfectionist side shows in her studio space. Drawers on rolling carts have labels like “cars,” “hot girls,” “black” and “patterns.” Stacks of magazines sit inside small bins—”Architectural Digest” and “Playboy” are on top this particular day—full of images and text that will soon land in the drawers.
Beebe started focusing on art about nine months ago. Pop culture from the 1950s, 60s and 70s inspires the self-described “old soul” who is “obsessed with retro nostalgia.”
Beebe spends countless hours hunting down magazines, movie posters, photos and books from those decades.
Antique stores, eBay and Half Price Books are among the many places frequented for material. People will give Beebe modern-day magazines, but the bright colors don’t mesh with the vintage items.
“Everything was more subtle back then. Now we’re in your face about everything,” she says. “But I just feel like it kind of also reflects just my love for that time and my belief that everything was a lot better.”
Finishing the collages can take several weeks, Beebe says, because she might put it away for a few days and then work on it again. In addition to collage art on canvas, Beebe turns paper collages into metal prints. She reimagines pop culture into new scenes by combining pieces from different vintage items for the prints.
Beebe made her first collage in 2019 to celebrate her now-husband’s 20-year sobriety anniversary. The collage mixed together meaningful pictures and words.
She made the piece as a gift not thinking it would lead to something more.
“It was literally just I wanted to give him something special,” Beebe says. “And I made this and I never thought about it again.”
Her father-in-law brought a different perspective upon seeing the piece.
“He told me that that’s what I should be doing,” Beebe says. “And it’s kind of funny ’cause he’s the epitome of a businessman and somebody that is successful in business, which is what I think for a long time I told myself, ‘Oh, I need to be in business and need to do XYZ.’”
By that time, Beebe had already achieved a lot in the business sector, having worked as an NFL agent for eight years. She earned an undergraduate degree from TCU in 2009 while running cross country and track, and then went straight to law school at Texas Tech University.
Before graduating, Beebe joined Willis & Woy Sports Group in Dallas in 2010 as an intern, which later became a full-time job.
She represented more than 30 players, served as the agency’s vice president of marketing and events and learned the ins and outs of the NFL from an industry veteran, her boss, Jordan Woy—he has represented more than 400 football players and remains a close friend. She was the youngest certified female NFL agent and liked the job, but the fast-paced demands started wearing on her, especially when thinking about the future.
“This is not what I wanted for the rest of my life,” Beebe says. “And being able to accept that because to the outside world, that’s the sexiest, coolest job. How could you not want to do that?”
Beebe worked in a couple of different industries after leaving football and got married in 2020. She served as CEO of a medical device company before stints as associate director of gifts for the TCU Frog Club and chief growth officer at Valor.
None of those roles felt quite right for Beebe’s next career move, but she always had a creative side. So, a friend encouraged her to explore that creativity. Scrapbooking and collecting vintage paper pop culture items were favorite childhood activities, which led to collage art. Beebe was still unsure about art as a career, but compliments from family, friends, housekeepers and decorators who saw the art indicated she had uncovered something special.
Beebe’s athletic background does come through while making collages since she occasionally adds in small images of Hall of Fame basketball player Michael Jordan. She can talk about basketball and football for hours and notes the marketing and brand-building skills developed as an agent help with this new venture.
Taking calculated risks is not a scary proposition either because Beebe experienced rejection as an agent.
“I think some people would hesitate to reach out to a gallery or think they’re not good enough after a few months,” she says. “I don’t have those hesitations. To me, it’s like the worst thing somebody can say is no.”
Beebe’s artwork is slowly getting in front of the public eye, including Bette’s and Shop Birdie off Camp Bowie Boulevard. Decorators also help Beebe find homes for artwork and her website has pieces for sale.
“I’ve been so lucky that it’s kind of been taking off and people are finding me,” she says. “I’m humbled that there’s other people out there that love wacky, crazy, retro-inspired, just eclectic stuff as much as I do.”