Ashford was born and grew up in the rural countryside of Montana, where his family have farmed for many generations.
Although he loved and was inspired by the beauties of the natural environment around him in Montana, as a young man he sought the excitement of urban living and moved to southern California to take his university degree. He has now settled in the American south-west.
Ashford describes himself as "an artist for hire"; he loves taking briefs and commissions from others and trying to interpret these in his own particular style. The challenge of creating something unexpected is what drives him as an artist and, although he paints for his own private exhibitions, he describes himself a truly commercial painter and designer, and has made a living in this way for over 20 years.