Interview with Ash Gray

Ashley, in your work, you often delve into profound themes such as human connection, grief, and love. How do you balance portraying these intense emotions in digital media, which is often perceived as less personal than traditional forms? What do you hope your viewers feel or learn from engaging with your art?

I guess I want people to learn that, I, don't consider that aspect, that it is less personal, which is it. It has taken a long time for digital art to be more art and there is still so far to go. For me I was drawn to 3d because I got to build 3d spaces, there was just more depth than 2d for me, which is nice to know but is mostly irreverent, what matters is the clarity of expression? That people can understand something, its hard to say, I liken it to the question what makes art, art rather than a picture of something, at times it is difficult but we have all seen pictures we think are art and art that we have perceived to be just a picture.
Some art no matter the form has a gravity to it, it is clear to see that this is art, I think and hope people feel that I am just trying to understand and express concepts that matter to me, with a medium I am drawn to. Tho yes I understand that people will focus more on the medum. It is very difficult to explain the technicality especially when there are so many other quicker/ less effort methods in my field that as an observer you don't understand.

Your conceptual approach to digital art emphasizes the role of the viewer in interpreting and experiencing your work. Can you discuss a specific piece where you intentionally left the narrative open-ended? How do you gauge or anticipate the variety of interpretations that might arise from such a piece?

I hope the effect with all my work is that the open ended aspect is: what do I as the viewer see, my focus on human connection showed me very quickly that I am just one person, one mind, one set of experiences as a result of this is struggle a lot with the ease of making works about my one experience and work that can relate to everyone, which are far more diffcult to materealize and also create effectively. As a result of me feeling this way strongly I have a level of open-endednes to most of my works as my work is targeted to the viewer rather than myself, even in works of myself I still ask, what do you see.

I have three works that cover this issue:
Seat of the Crown, this work is about everyone, everyone has an understanding of the absurd reality as a force, this is my creation, but people don't talk about that directly they speak about its effect, I see the end, a glorified destruction things like this.

Etheral Blue, this is for everyone and personally for myself, I have heard many things about what it means to other people and I like a fair few of them one being the future of humanity, but also a kind of flawed dynamic of disassociation's around love.

For myself this is about a person and their influence and teaching to me, I wouldn't exist as an artist without their influence.

Black Hole Heart, This is just about me for me, it is about reaching a goal and realizing that there are things that have to be accepted, although I would also hope it can be seen by people as part of my journey or open enough for the viewer to interpret how they wish, it would be hard to suggest this is the same as the 1st type of work as I am directly in it and it has many themes directly associated with myself.

As a digital artist who prioritizes artistic expression over technical aspects, how do you distinguish your creative process from that of a graphic designer? What are the artistic choices and limitations you impose on yourself to maintain this distinction?

I think my difference to both graphic design and 3d artists are my rules are different to both, for example there is a lot of technical size limitations with both because the elements have to fit into something, I also have this there is little point to create things in the 3d world that don't fit in the shot. But I don't have to worry about colour compatibility like a graphic designer, I also don't have to worry about texture sizes like a 3d artist.

I think my main choice difference is that I focus on making expressive things, its less technical its in the same technical world, my program will crash just the same if I do stupid stuff, but a big thing for me is it has to look or feel correct a kind of I am making art, not a product like a flyer website game objects etc sometimes it will look mostly done and there will be days where im just tweaking the levels to get the right feeling from the colours or get the mood for myself right.

With AI increasingly being used in creating art, how do you see these technologies influencing your field? Do you view AI as a threat to the traditional essence of creativity, or as a tool that could redefine artistic expression? How does your work respond to or incorporate these advancements?

At the moment I don't see AI as a threat to creativity, I feel it's a very creature or self aware entity based thing and AI at the moment doesn't have enough of these traits, AI can create and what it creates is very smart but AI has no emotions or experiences no soul and constantly tells people that “as an AI I can not” do all these things, one being simulate humanity in creative form, I guess its about technicality, at the moment it is not a self, yet and if that does happen I welcome its art with passion I want to see I truly do, but I also fear it will be far to late for that.
But for its level of ease of use and speed I do believe this is the biggest threat we have seen, it can create images and concepts so much faster with little input and for all its flaws it only needs a little support from a person, it will replace many roles in many fields once it can be applied effectively and its limitations mitigated, but for now its still firmly on the side of humans needing to support it to create something believable because it has no sense of what it is doing and as its difficult to prove that, so for now it has an edge.

Ask AI what a cat is it will show you in many forms, but it doest know what a cat is, it is the slight but significant differences such as this that make me feel it is still a fair bit off. I can only hope I am correct, because for me the issue is not AI it is humanity.

On that I hope that my art shows that we would be making a grave and irreversible mistake with things we do not understand, that will cost that essence of our children that we love and our children's children, that future of humanity that people seem to see. Which sound extreme but we are seeing it, we know already.

I, do not care to hide that, the value of what will be lost and I do not have children and will die. But I'm not hear to attack AI we have done this many times with many things, I understand it is complex.

Digital artists often face unique challenges compared to traditional artists, such as the necessity for social media promotion, managing online portfolios, and digital exhibitions. Could you describe a particular challenge you faced while transitioning from creating to exhibiting your art? How have these responsibilities influenced your creative output?

The other aspects of being an artist are hard work, it is more difficult I guess for both traditional and digital, many painters have to make websites and do social media when they just want to paint, for myself I like to make the art, its like a certain mind and space but I struggle with prints, shows and sales side a fair bit. My first show I had prints made as I planed an event to do. But there have been events that contact me and I want to do them, but this means I have to find a printer at my quality for my work or transport for the images and myself and if you want to set up before the event which most places will, then you need to get there before and need the time off work, can that happen?. Lots of these thing have to be taken care of live as they cant be in place ready for chances.

Creatively I am a little more hesitant about making art or to be fair it is that making art now means I must consider things that will come from it, like orgs contacting me shows and things, this is not always the case in fact far from it, but I have to make time for these things and I don't always have that time, sometimes I just cant make everything work and I disappear for some time, but I am extremely grateful because no one has to do or say anything, its similar to being an artist, to hear it from others is an honour.

Your work addresses dark themes like grief with an underlying message of love and understanding. How do you navigate these heavy themes to foster a connection with your audience across different cultures and personal experiences? Is there a piece you feel particularly succeeded in this aim?

To find a way to connect with everyone is the dream, the universal depiction of a person that can be used to represent people in many forms, so unfortunately no I don't have a work that can do that well to me yet. I have tried, images that come to mind about this are 'A Mothers Scream' and 'Pins' with a mothers scream I wanted to show mothers, all mothers and the dread of losing your child, but quickly realised that I couldn't show all mothers in one person, we have unique identifying characters such as race and age as well as how we hold ourselves with things such as hair or clothes. In pins I used a skeleton to try from the most abstract but understood angle, but as it doesn't have the full human form it communicates less, I also realised that if I used a skeleton for mothers scream the essence could be more difficult to see as skeletons are usually associated with death. These usually associated connection's make it a hard task to depict universal humanity.

I like to think I connect with people on my essence of what I represent which was far stronger when I started. I am just another person, my name and all of this about who I am, it is important I get it, for people who consider it to be important. but for my art, it is not, it doesn't matter who I am, I could be you, or you could be me, I am just random human being who is expressing, things. I was very set on not giving out my name or giving anyone a sense of who I was, it was very disconnected and I did not want people to get distracted, but as I grew and did some shows this shifted, people would come and talk to me, so although I am still just like you, I am also me and that has some importance to some viewers and I should and do respect that.

You've transitioned from focusing on technical 3D modelling to embracing a more holistic artistic vision. How has your background in computer games art and your experiences outside the art world, like working in a Chinese meat factory, influenced this shift in your artistic philosophy and practice?

Experiences, I am quite reflective but also strongly believe that we cant really know people, meeting so many types of people with their experiences. The culture for example of a meat factory and a 3D modeller are extremely different, the experiences and the people and how those experiences shape the people and me in those environments.

For my art its not really about people as individuals but it did open my eyes to the ways each deal with their suffering, about perspective and the differences of environment / culture and perspective of the self. It strengthen my belief in empathy and how I could gain understanding of others which gave me more confidence in the essence of what I was doing, being creatively myself. I cant say I create everything I want to that is unwise, but I am bold, there are many works where I think should I have created / shown that, but more than that to me, I mean you no harm, I can only hope that I don't cause anyone any with for example 'A Mothers Scream' or 'Ethereal Blue' and many others most of it really.

Transitioning from digital platforms to solo exhibits must have involved significant learning. Can you share insights from your first solo exhibit experience and how it shaped your approach to public presentations and viewer engagement in subsequent shows?

You cant do it alone, my first show was a quiet one, I did what I could on social media and I had a lot of support from a amazing woman who I don't think I will ever forget. Who told me things to skill me up fast, as my art was impressive or unexpected, but I didn't understand half of it. As for how this has shaped my approach to future engagement, it is best to just be yourself, rather than what you think people may want from you. In all aspect of your question especially show and viewer engagement, I say because I find people want to see who you are, not everyone is going to like you but as art for me is about connection people are trying to connect with people not personas. Which I understand is a little counter to reality and presenting oneself but again as I think people know, it isn't in what you create, it can be bad or unspeakable things, as long as its authenticity you and I feared this and some what still do, there are darker things I dare not create, I would say be authentic but with restraint, you are a servant. But I like some truly horrifying works which I am grateful were expressed and have seen horrifying works I do not like.

Earlier in your career, the quality of your work was impacted by internet speeds and file size constraints. How have technological advancements changed the way you create and present your work online? Are there elements from those constraints that you still find useful or influential in your current process?

The technology is so much better, as technology moves so fast, it just means there is more room or I can do more things, an example would be polygons on the screen I can have, or that advancements made it possible for a fur/ hair system, it just makes things slightly easier, as you still have to learn how to use these new systems to have fluid or fur in your work.

A useful constraint for now to me is 1400 pixels as a final image compression for the internet, I would have also said 72 dots per inch but being an art artist taught me it's actually 300 dots per inch which to a 3D or games person is insane, it was insane to me too.
A funny constraint, I use a mouse, in an area that's thinner that a standard mousepad, always have. For the 3d sculptors and graphic artists, no pressure sensitivity, no fluid hand stoke lines and all that cool stuff, for the people who 'don't have the flashy tech' a mouse. Why is this useful to me, it keeps me grounded, I see art as a service (to something). not so much a I am a grand talent, although I may change the mind set a bit and also one day get a graphics tablet as I hear the “I must be grounded” holds me back.

The name of your collection, "Human," suggests a focus on shared human experiences and emotions. How do you ensure that your digital creations resonate on a deeply personal level with diverse audiences? What do you believe is the role of an artist in reflecting or shaping collective human spirit in the digital age?

I believe the role of an artist is to show a profound glimpse of something we all have a understanding of but don't have the time, space, at times ability, to think of and share this thing with others. A lot of the creative mediums are the same to me like cinema, music, writing, but not all artists are going to be about connection or shared experiences.
For me it is about connection I hope people can see this, I am a human first, this is how I connect with anyone no matter who you are if you are willing.
You are 'a you', not your name or your gender, age, race, musical or political preference, you are not a person or mere person, you are you. I know you have understand the absurd reality for example tho you may not know it, that you experience grief, suffering, you love, have preferences and boundary's although you may not have said, that you struggle with the dynamic of agency, I know you are human.

The background of ethereal blue is an analogy of reality and the message, I liken it to space, people are the stars and the world is the space aspect. Like space, a void, there is nothing, life does not have the capacity to care it is a void, but. What makes space and life beautiful is the stars and the people, meaning you are your own purpose, we, are our own purpose as a collective, I'm not the guy like everything is wrong I don't think that helps, I like to focus on the fact that we are all we have and I understand that you are in pain, the problem is, you cant see that unless I tell you, you just see a background I try to push the value of humanity, this I hope can be seen in my works around superheroes, they are very human.

Human is my art pseudonym it is that I am only human, but it is also: help u my ally named. Because I do not know who the viewer is. For myself it is clear what I want to do heal part of myself and hopefully anyone else, in this sense I can only hope my works deeply resonate with people to bring them closure or understanding or solace, I mean you no harm.

https://creativepool.com/ashley-gray
https://www.artstation.com/ashleygray