Salem Summer Series Vendor Thistle Art Ashlee of Thistle Art portrays beauty in the natural world as the over arching concept of her paintings, though elements of the strange and unusual seep in. A strong bond with nature and the unknown led her down a path to the world of the macabre. Spirits, ghosts, folklore, legends, and cryptids have always been of interest to the artist and have become the main point focus in her works.