Joy Ashby trained at Stourbridge and Birmingham Colleges of Art. Her early years were spent teaching in art education at all levels. This was followed by some successful years painting and in conservation and restoration. After working for fifteen years for the National Trust, Joy returned to full time painting. She has organised and tutored advanced painting courses both in France and Italy.
She was elected as an Associate of the RBSA in 2005, and a Member in 2012. She has exhibited widely in the UK.
Her work has constantly evolved from information collected via studies of organic forms and the exploration of light and atmosphere in landscape. Her paintings in oil, acrylic and mixed media range from abstract interpretations.