Exploring Southern Gothic Surrealism and Mental Health: An Interview with Artist Ashley Stelly

In this interview, we sit down with the ever-vampiric Ashley Stelly, an artist whose work transcends the edges of Louisiana Cajun Country, incorporates mental health exploration, and Southern Gothic surrealism. Stelly’s art defies simple categorization. Though deeply influenced by the darker, unsettling elements of pop surrealism and Southern Gothic, her work often emerges as a reflection of emotions and experiences.

With a background that blends digital art with classical painting techniques, Stelly’s inspirations range from art magazines like Juxtapose to artists like Tara McPherson, Abigail Larson, and Stephen G. Koidl. Through her evolving artistic style, she explores unsettling feelings that stem from PTSD, anxiety, and depression, creating pieces that invite the viewer to step into her world.

Where are you from?

So, I was technically born in Gretna, LA, in a hospital that doesn’t exist anymore. I grew up on the edge of Cajun Country near Des Allemands in a small town called Paradis.

So, being from the edge of Cajun Country, do you think that has shaped your art in any way? How has it inspired you?

Mostly not. More recently, it’s gotten just like Southern Gothic themes have started to wind their way through, but for the most part, it wasn’t really relevant before because I kind of hated being there. I just started doing a lot of scenery stuff recently, so I never even really did anything related to locations.

What is your medium?

I did paint for a long time. I’m almost entirely digital now just because of convenience. It’s not very convenient to bring a bunch of paints with you. Plus, I can take my iPad and draw at work instead of working.

What inspires you to do your art? Who are your influences?

I have mental health issues. Like, I have actual diagnosed PTSD, Major Depression Disorder, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, so a lot of my stuff is like kind of touching onto that stuff. I mean, there’s always like – sometimes it’s not overwhelming– unsettling feeling. I guess what inspires me is just how I feel.

So, artistic style. You’ve been incorporating elements of the Southern Gothic. What do you feel is your artistic style?

I’m very much a product of the pop surrealism movement, which is heavily inspired by things like pop or lowbrow art too. So like graffiti art and tattoo art, the pop surrealism part comes in where it’s like you’re taking. It’s funny because it’s not really like pop art, but it does have a little bit of surrealism in it. It’s taking elements of those really graphic, stylized types of art and mixing them in with more traditional, like, um, things that are more common in traditional paintings, like thematics or themes or actual, you know, techniques, like more realism mixed in with that stuff. I do have a few artists that I’m particularly, I guess I’m drawn to.

I know I remember the very first one I could, it was Tara McPherson. I found her because I had gotten a copy of Juxtapose Magazine. Juxtapose Magazine is like this underground art thing. It’s cool as fuck. And then, from Juxtapose, I actually learned about Hi-Fructose Magazine. Sounds crazy. And then from there, I learned about a whole bunch of other crazy things. That’s what originally got me started into the more thematic Ideas of popster realism. I obviously like to make it more Gothic and then I learned there’s an artist named Abigail Larson. She does a lot of very illustrative styles, things that are heavy on line art. She’s very inspired by things like Edgar Allan Poe, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, and things like that.

There’s another artist named Irene Horrors that almost looks exactly the same in terms of style. But she goes more on like, folklore and things like that when she draws. And then on the complete flip side, cause those two are very stylized. There’s another artist called Stephen G. Koidl, I think his name. It’s really weird. And it’s like, it’s more a traditional illustration of like a scene, but it’s like horror. There’s weird, unsettling shit happening. And so I pretty much all that mixed together.

What challenges have you faced as an artist, and how have you overcome them?

Oh, man. So going back to the mental health issues, it’s made me a bit of a perfectionist, and I set my goals really high, which I’m sure everybody does to an extent, but I was at a point where I was like, “OK, I’m gonna paint like Caravaggio.” and then I got to the level where I could paint like the old masters, and now I’m like, “Ok, well, I need to be more creative,” so it’s like I reached these goals, but they’re never enough which it annoys me that I’m not as good as I want to be. But that line is always moving, and that’s a pretty significant one.

So, what do you seek to convey overall with your art? Is there a message, or is it just doing it to do it?

I mean, for the longest time, it was– I guess it was like an escape. I remember a lot of times people looking at my art, especially in high school or younger, people would be like, you know, “Are you okay?” I remember one time I had family members concerned because I drew something really fucked up, and I was always like, “These don’t mean anything. I’m just drawing.” But as I got older, I looked back at those things, and I was like, “Damn. You know, like, I was in this mental distress state that I didn’t even really understand at the time.” So, it’s kind of like looking in a little window and seeing what’s going on and not realizing it until years later when I look back at it. So, every time I draw something, it’s kind of like it’s not really portraying a theme or concept, more so as a feeling.

All of these feelings are kind of undescribable because they’re these things that I know, like, anybody who has really strong mental health issues or emotional problems, trauma or anything like that. There are these feelings that you feel, and you cannot really put a word on them. You know, they’re bad. You don’t know how they’re bad. So the art that I do is kind of like, sometimes it’s fun, you know, sometimes it’s not really much going on– then sometimes it’s like, this is unsettling, but I couldn’t tell you why.

What are you currently working on that excites you?

Well, I’m definitely doing some more sacrilegious stuff. Always fun to do that cause I got some very religious stuff going on. Folks that I’m related to that are weird about that. Also, I was gonna do my own take on the Wyrd Sisters. I’m definitely trying to get more; uh, what’s the word? Like whole scenes in there. I used to just draw faces or like one person, and there was nothing else going on, and to an extent, I still do that sometimes, but I try to have at least a background.

But, my most ambitious thing –and this is the part where I start to sound insane –I’ve got a dream map comprised of every dream that I’ve had since I was like five. They’re not like normal dreams because all of these dreams I have connect to each other. I’ll have normal dreams, too, but they’re not part of that world. So I’ve already spent like 80 hours on it, and I’ve only got like just a little tiny bit of the map done. I know I sound insane when I start talking about it because every time I do, people kind of like they give you that look, you know, that “What the fuck?” Um, but I probably won’t finish that for another three years.

It sounds fascinating! So it’s like these dreams you’ve had that are connected since you were five. What so are they, just like really disturbing dreams or –?

It’s a map of my own self, my own subconscious. If I wanted to get real fucking insane with it, I could say it’s my connection to the collective unconsciousness, where it is my self as a part of that collective. It’s like my room in a big house, and everywhere I’ve been has been leading me somewhere that I don’t know at the time. But it’s like, there’s a reason why I’m here, and I got to understand what’s going on. It’s more so like a truly in-depth look at my own subconscious, but while I’m not in a conscious state–it’s like introspection on a whole new fun level. It goes much deeper, but I honestly that is too far out there right now, and I don’t want people to think I’m insane.

Well, I’m excited to see what comes of it in like three-plus years.

Yeah, I’ve been updating some parts of it. There are some pictures, I don’t know. I can’t remember if I put them on my art page or if I just put them on my personal Facebook, but I’ll figure it out.

Where do you see your art going in the next few years? Are there like any new directions or mediums that you’re looking into experimenting with?

I don’t plan out anything artwise. I don’t really know. I’ll just have to find out.

Looking back at your body of work, what are you the most proud of?

None of it really. Like I say, it’s never, it’s never good enough. So it’s something I’ve done recently. I’m like, “Yes, I love this. I’m going to hate it with the next one.” Because it’s not– I get better each time. So I look at the old one, like I’m looking around at old paintings I have up, and I’m just like, “God, these are so fucking ugly, dude.” I think most artists do that. I think that’s an artist thing.

My last thing– how can people best support your work or stay connected with you and your creative journey?

I’m like, so I’ve gone through having the shows and having things commission-wise and things like that. I’ve kind of cut back recently because–I mean if people want, I’m on Instagram and Facebook and stuff, but I’m not like, I’m like not trying to be perceived, which is kind of counterproductive doing an interview for a thing like this.

But, uh, I’m just here. Like, when I do work, when I make art, it’s more for me than anyone. And I’m pretty sure I’m like shadow-banned on Facebook, so most people don’t see it anyway–but that’s alright.

I used to have an Etsy. I got rid of Etsy because people don’t buy art like they used to. No one’s got money. I’m very cynical when it comes to that sort of thing. So I pretty much I just got rid of it. I still technically have Etsy, but it’s like on a break. It probably won’t ever really be back. Let’s see what else I have. I did get on Cara, but I forgot my password, so I haven’t logged in in about three months.

Um, let’s see what else I’ve got. I was thinking about doing Threads, but I don’t think Threads is like a whole thing. I feel like an old person because I don’t know what the kids are up to these days.

Yeah, so is Threads a thing or not? I still can’t tell.

I don’t know. I’m like, I don’t know what people do. Like, I guess they’re just out living their lives, which is OK. I don’t know how they do that, but it works for them, I guess.

If Ashley so chooses to be perceived, you can find her on Instagram and on Facebook.