Choking Print

Using methods akin to the Cobra art movement, Ashley makes primitive style oil pastel portraits of people in modern yet obscure settings. Stripping away the complexity of emotions generally associated with portraits, Ashley instead focuses on the influences environment and human instincts have in forming our identity. This clash of primitive and modern he exemplifies with the clashing of themes of mundanity and artificiality against the rudimentary and spontaneous drawing style. “I've always enjoyed trying to understand the complexities and, strangely, simplicities of human nature. Primitive paintings I feel offer a wonderful insight into this; how our ancestors once viewed the world, how they built their early societies and cultures which shaped who we are today. Such reflections on these works show us paradoxically how far we've progressed and how complex we can be, yet how similar and primitive we still are to our ancestors. It's had a great influence on my art so far and something I look forward to exploring and learning more about”.