An Interview with John Ross and Mathieu Martel, by Kes Radford

Read Kes Radford’s interview with John Ross and Mathieu Martel about ghost stories, getting out of your comfort zone, and pushing the boundaries of horror.

Find a copy of Ghost Stories YYC Volume 4 at ghoststoriesyyc.ca and see the art show at the Ruberto Ostberg Gallery in Calgary, Alberta opening October 17, 2025. Follow the adventures of Ghost Stories YYC and meet the artists and writers involved on Instagram: @ghost_stories_yyc.

Please note, this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Kes Radford: Ghost Stories YYC is a narrative art show, bringing writers and artists together to create pieces inspired by folk tales, urban legends, and ghost stories. The project includes both an exhibition at The Ruberto Ostberg Gallery in Calgary, Alberta and a physical publication. In this interview, I am chatting with the founders of Ghost Stories YYC, John Ross and Mathieu Martel. To get us started, what can you tell us about Ghost Stories YYC and how you came up with the idea?

Mathieu Martel: Both of us went to York University for Fine Arts. John has a degree in Studio Art, while I have a degree in Film Production. We’ve both been long-time collaborators and creators, having grown up together, and both coming from families that were heavily involved in the art scene in our hometown.

John Ross: We spent our summers camping or at my cottage on the lake, and telling ghost stories has always been a part of that tradition. In addition to that, we’ve always had a long-standing love of horror films. A few years ago, we wanted to collaborate and try doing a narrative driven art show together, but in the process, it evolved into a juried group art show. 

Kes Radford: filling Station is known as “Canada’s experimental literary magazine,” and the writers and artists that have been a part of each issue have proven that there is no limit to what stories can do and the forms they can take. Would you consider Ghost Stories YYC or some of its stories and art to be experimental? If yes, can you tell us about some of the ways the contributors have played with the expectations of these artforms? Does horror lend itself to experimentation and innovation?

Mathieu Martel: We really encourage people to experiment with their stories. One of the reasons for the show existing is to try something different. We’ve had a few experimental stories in the past, but one that stands out was Mariella Villalobos’ story from Volume 3, “Seven Curious Citations From the Notes of an Unknown Cultural Archivist,” which was a story told from the perspective of an AI in the future piecing together archival material that chronicled the story of the Wendigo throughout the ages. Villalobos utilized quotes from and descriptions of real archival material to add an additional haunting layer to her story. It was quite different from the poetry or prose that we normally have in the show, and it was extremely well received.

John Ross: The Horror genre often capitalizes on our fears of the unknown, making it a perfect space for experimentation and innovation. Ghost Stories has never encouraged our artists to adhere to typical horror tropes in the hopes that they will explore the limits of their own artistic style to find out what kind of visuals can be scary or haunting. 

Kes Radford: One of Ghost Stories YYC’s goals is to facilitate the creation of new work. Why is the creation of new work an important element of this narrative art show, and how do you support and encourage the artists and writers through this journey?

John Ross: One of the main goals of the show is to push artists to create something outside of their comfort zones. We make sure that the artists are still operating within their given practice or medium but that the result of their work is often different from what they normally produce.

Mathieu Martel: Throughout the duration of the program, we also offer various meetups, critique sessions, and sharing workshops where the artists can hone their craft and get valuable input from peers. This is a big difference compared to most other group art shows.

Kes Radford: Many of the works are not solo projects but collaborations between an artist and a writer. For instance, I am one of the writers for the upcoming show, and I am working on this project with the illustrator Mariella Villalobos. Her art has influenced the direction that my story takes and inspired many elements of it. Do you have any advice for anyone considering a collaboration?

Mathieu Martel: Collaboration is a huge part of this show. We are actually lifelong collaborators, having worked on projects together since high school, through university, and into our art careers. It’s an incredibly important aspect of art making for the two of us. It can get lonely out there in art land, so making things with friends can definitely help that.

John Ross: As a bit of advice for collaborating, we generally would say not to be too precious about your work. Realize that it’s an iterative process and that multiple perspectives will mean building up and tearing down continuously. This is almost always a good thing and lets you grow as an artist and maker.

Kes Radford: Mat, in Volume 3 of Ghost Stories YYC, you wrote and created the art for a story called “His Island” in which a man embarks on a solo voyage across the northern Canadian wilderness only to find himself marooned on an island in the middle of a lake after an encounter with a strange creature in the water. Landscape and nature set the tone for the story and feature prominently in the art that accompanies it. Would you say that the Canadian wilderness is a natural setting for horror and the sense of isolation that your main character experiences? Was this story inspired by any of your own travels? How did you decide what elements of the story you wanted to emphasize in the digital art piece?

Mathieu Martel: I think for a Canadian the wilderness has always been a place that holds mystery and terror. The very idea of the woods being a place to stay out of has deep cultural roots here—which I believe has evolutionary roots about not treading where you don’t have a big line of sight to see what might be lurking nearby. This story has inspiration in my own travels and canoe trips in Algonquin Park growing up and was largely based on the Ogopogo cryptid. It was also heavily inspired by Canadian writer, explorer, and archaeologist Adam Shoalts, and his book Beyond the Trees. For me, the piece and the writing generally coincide and can influence each other. I generally like to make an image that can tell a bit of its own story without being incredibly specific so it can live on its own.

Kes Radford: John, you also contributed a story and art for Volume 3. In “Sanctum” you take a more science fiction and cosmic horror route. We follow Eida Richter, a member of the Sanctum of Azathoth, as she journeys through space in pursuit of a lurking god. Cosmic horror draws on the fear of the unknowable and the dread of forbidden knowledge. Were these themes ones you wished to convey through both your writing and your acrylic painting? Does your art piece, though a visual medium, emphasize the incomprehensible quality of the cosmic being Richter encounters?

John Ross: I find the deep connection between body and mind fascinating, and given how little science knows about it, I wonder how deep that connection can truly go. This seems to me to be one of the central questions at the intersection of body horror and cosmic horror. If one visits a sufficiently dangerous or horrifying place in their mind, can the body be harmed or altered? Eida Richter pursues a forbidden knowledge that becomes a kind of dice-roll on whether or not her body can survive what her mind beholds. My goal was definitely to convey the incomprehensibility of a cosmic being in my painting, with limited success! I opted for imagery that conveyed a strange sense of antiquity in order to sell the “cosmic god” feel. 

Kes Radford: Ghost Stories YYC has a YouTube channel where you provide audio versions of the stories. When patrons of the gallery are perusing the art, they have the choice to either read the accompanying stories or to listen to them. Are the different ways an audience might enjoy stories something you and your contributors consider when putting the show together?

Mathieu Martel: We really love it when our artists do something outside of the box for their work, whether that is by making a piece that's more interactive or has a kinetic element to it. This year Mariella Villalobos’ art piece “B. Corbeau’s Puppet Theatre” incorporates paper puppets that can be moved around on stage. In a previous Volume of the show, Kenzie Housego crafted a metal box that made rumbling noises driven by a motion sensor when patrons got close enough, and Bruce Watson built a sculpture that incorporated a wine glass that continually broke apart and reformed. On top of that, having the audio narration for the stories increases the likelihood of more people enjoying the tales people have crafted. It also allows us to be creative with the recording, adding music, ambience, and sound effects to greatly enhance the stories and their atmospheres. 

Kes Radford: You have a podcast associated with the project called ‘Round The Campfire where you have conversations with the writers and artists. How do these conversations add to the narrative art show?

John Ross: The ‘Round the Campfire podcast is just a fun way to further engage the artists and writers taking part in the Ghost Stories YYC project. It gives us an opportunity to explore the more academic side of art making by asking some deeper questions and discussing broader topics that relate to our studio or writing practices. We’ve tackled topics like imposter syndrome, when it’s better to be a good-enoughist instead of a perfectionist, and how to not take yourself too seriously. 

Kes Radford: You encourage your writers and artists to create both original stories and ones inspired by established folk tales, urban legends, and ghost stories. What are some stories that have inspired you in the past? And do you have any book recommendations for us?

Mathieu Martel: Lately I’ve been diving back into new and old Stephen King short stories. He’s an absolute master of characterization, and I think his ability to quickly make you love or loathe the characters in his stories is unmatched. His recent collection You Like It Darker has a story named “Danny Coughlin’s Bad Dream” that has become my favorite short story.

John Ross: Too many inspirations to name over the years! I will say as a painter, Francis Bacon was one of my very earliest idols, and the unsettling aesthetics he employed have always stuck with me. I have recently discovered the brilliance of T.S Elliot. I know I am late to the party on this one, but pieces like “Little Gidding” and “Wasteland” heavily motivated my writing this year for Ghost Stories Volume 4. I will also highly recommend Algernon Blackwood for short horror fiction! 

Kes Radford: Ghost Stories YYC is now on its fourth volume. What can readers and art lovers look forward to in the upcoming show and publication? Will your own contributions continue with similar themes and styles to your work in Volume 3, or will you be trying your hands at something completely different?

John Ross: I have taken a complete 180 from science fiction and cosmic horror to make a poem set in the world of Norse myth. I have also opted to make a collection of ink illustrations instead of a painting. When I have a chance to get outside of my box like Ghost Stories YYC offers, I have to take it! 

Mathieu Martel: We have a strong roster of artists and writers this year! Elke Richter brings us a thrilling and gruesome prairie gothic tale about a man who abducts a forest spirit from Germany for his own purposes that doesn’t quite go to plan. Chris Flodberg has written another great story about a woman who is haunted by her own reflection, with an equally haunting painting. The show’s first animation will accompany the charcoal piece that was chosen for the cover. John Roberts took almost 900 photographs that form an animation that enhances the story about a man’s obsession with making the perfect image of a ghostly figure he witnessed.

This year I’m acting purely as an organizer and show runner for Ghost Stories YYC. I’m letting other artists shine this time around, so no story or artwork from me. I’m saving something grand for Volume 5!

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Mathieu Martel is a motion designer, illustrator, and lead animator for The Booth, a studio based out of Toronto. First and foremost, he tries to be a storyteller, through whatever medium he finds and decides to throw himself into at any given time. He is a co-founder of Ghost Stories YYC.

John F. Ross is a Canadian painter creating contemporary works charged with personal and sociopolitical narratives. A graduate of Studio Art from York University, John has been exhibiting his work since 2006 in Ontario and Alberta. He is a co-founder of Ghost Stories YYC.