•ASH GODLEY•
Ash Godly’s paintings translate nighttime wanderings into eerie, cinematic scenes—merging photography and oil paint to explore the uncanny within the everyday.
This week we spoke to Ash Godley. Read more below about their work and how movies like Blair Witch Project inspire their practice. Subscribe below for more artist and designer interviews, and be the first to know about upcoming artist studio tours.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am originally from Brampton and moved to Guelph in 2019 to attend the University of Guelph for Studio Art and Art History. I am also a bartender at a busy restaurant + bar in downtown Guelph. These two locations and my job here have greatly impacted my art, as I often use my direct surroundings as subject matter in my paintings.
Ash Godley, Visit 1, 2023, oil on canvas
How do you describe your work and practice?
My current practice is centred around photography and oil painting, and motivated by an interest in the uncanny. I hunt around the places I live and work at night, often equipped with my handy flashlight, taking photographs into windows, around corners, and against walls and fences. By using flash photography and this flashlight, I cast a dramatic and ambiguous light on these everyday spaces, which I then translate into paint. I aim to imbue these paintings with my experience of being in them, bending corners and lines, playing with the reality of the image.
Ash Godley, Picture provided by landlord, 2024, oil on canvas, 30x24 inches
What inspires your art/design process?
My main inspiration comes from my direct surroundings, but I aim to present them in the same way as many horror movies and video games. I am particularity inspired by the atmospheres of the Silent Hill and Resident Evil series, as well as movies like Rear Window, Skinamarink, the Blair Witch Project, and anything made by David Lynch. Additionally, I am always really inspired by the “liminal spaces” trend online, and in fact, that movement is what initially inspired me to do paintings in this vein.
Ash Godley, Visit 7, 2024, oil on canvas
In terms of materials and imagery, what do you typically acquire for your practice?
I take all my images myself, as it is important that I experience the spaces that I paint in person. Before going out, I usually have a rough idea for what I want some images to look like, but a lot of the photos are just composed in the moment. I try to assume the headspace of someone looking for something, in my case I am actually searching for interesting angles or light sources, but assuming this role helps with imbuing the photos with an ambiguous narrative. In terms of materials, I stretch and prime all of my canvases myself, as I want to ensure that the edges retain their unprimed look.
Ash Godley, Visit 6, 2024, oil on canvas
What work would you create if you had no expectation or limits?
Hopefully I get the means to see this through, but one day I want to create a direct scale reproduction of a house. The notion of repetition is an important factor in my work, and I want to expand on my use of it in the future.
Ash Godley, Visit 8, 2024, oil on canvas
Do you have a repeated ritual/rhythm or strategy when it comes to your process of making?
When I have gathered the images for a new series of paintings, I begin planning for the next stages: I try to find stretcher bars that relate as directly as possible to the dimensions of the photos, or I decide the size based on the exact location where the work will be shown. I then stretch the canvas, size it, and prime it with an oil primer to ensure the work will last and be of the highest quality I can make it. Then, I rule out a small grid (usually just 4 lines) and begin translating the image into paint. When the work is complete, I sometimes use a varnish, but it’s a part of the process I am still experimenting with.