For the 19-year-old who lives with depression and anxiety it’s just as important to her as ‘Lexie’ her assistance dog, riding horses and counselling.

“To have my first exhibition, it’s really special,” she said.

“It’s nice to see them out of the folio and all on a wall together.”

Her illness has long been part of her life but more pronounced in the past five years.

“I left school because of it but art has been my creative outlet. It’s taken a couple of years to find my feet and Lexie has definitely helped.”

Ashleigh has stopped in at the Raymond Terrace Art Space twice since it hung 12 of her works. Twice it’s been Lexie, by her side.

“I’ve spent a lot of time – two years – training her, ready to go out in public,” she said.

“She’s really helped me.”

A talent for art runs in the family. Her grandmother Julia Price has painted for 50 years and exhibited many times.

Ashleigh’s main interests are dogs and horses.

“The best part is showing someone the drawing of their animal,” she said.

“I’m working on another one now for my boyfriend, who’s dog died. I haven’t drawn Lexie yet, being black she will be a little harder.”

Her process is painstaking.

As someone who used to work from photos borrowed from the internet Ashleigh developed a keen interest in photography.

“It takes a bit of time, from the moment I take the photo to having it processed and then drawing it… it can take me two hours to do one centimetre,” she said.

“Taking my own photos to work from, it allows me to get it just right. Eventually I would like to do more commission stuff.”