Ashley Stelly

Visual Art – New Orleans

My works are an accurate representation of what I feel to be the “Other part; the side of society and people that is never seen.” it is a way to show the world who I am, and who I want to be. When viewing my work I hope that people are able to find a personal meaning for themselves. I want my art to cause the viewer to think about stories or the past, and even to inspire them to be creative themselves. For me, art is the only way of life. Art is what I’ve always been good at. I believe that without art, life is just simply boring. It has played a major role in my life and I have used it as a catharsis for my emotions and thoughts. It has helped me through my childhood; the tragic events that I’ve suffered in life, the cold hospital rooms I’ve stayed in and darkest parts of my mind that further inspire me. These themes allow for a melancholy feel, to take one into the past and to be nostalgic and to bring one to the future, and to inspire hope for what comes. In my work I like to take the negatives aspects of life and manipulate them into my own version of reality. I find myself yearning for the rain to fall and to occupy the cold corridors of hospitals. They are not depressing to me, as they would be to others. I find that the parts of reality that others avoid seem to attract me and compel me to discover more. I enjoy seeking the sickness in others, with works that have a subtle emotion in which people do not want to admit, that feeling that delves deep within your mind, never-ending. I use my artwork to further accept reality, but to not be dragged down by it.