Before Art College, in the early 1950s, Ashley Luff spent a spell in industry followed by military service in Sri Lanka. After a period in administration, he spent a year as a barman in a Devon Inn before arriving at Hornsey Art College in 1957.

At Hornsey, he completed a course in Fine Art,1957-60 followed by Southampton University's Art Teachers' Diploma at Bournemouth (later as a visiting lecturer). He taught for a spell at Blackwell Secondary School before accepting Fine Arts lectureships in 1963.

He was visiting lecturer to High Wycombe, Chichester and Hornsey, among others, as well as talks to various groups at Museums etc. with a special interest in early 20th Century French writing and music, especially Erik Satie where his interest was heightened by a chance half-hour conversation with Francis Poulenc in 1961.

Luff's first exhibition was at the Absalom Gallery, Bath in 1965, later at The Architectural Institute, London, Bath University, and group exhibitions at Southampton Art Gallery and Reading Museum.

He took up as a full-time artist in 1977, becoming a co-director of Cromwell Fine Art that year and showing his work there until 1992 when he became a Resident Artist at Terry Venable's Scribes West, Kensington 1992-98 where his work was displayed for sale. At the same time, He showed his work at the Osborne Gallery, Belgravia from 1977 until recent times.

In 1983 Luff exhibited at The Savile Club and in 1995 a show at The Guild of Excellence, Swiss Cottage and at Highgate Fine Art 2003-5, and elsewhere he also showed at The Libby Morris Gallery, Melbourne in 1988 and at Art Catto, Portugal in 2013.

Works in Private Collections include those of Terry Venables, Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews, Kerry Packer, Lesley Botham at The French House, Soho as well as the authors Keith Waterhouse, Peter Everett (Matisse's War) and photographer Clive Limpkin (Battle of Bogside, Capa Gold Medal Award). A painting bought by Union Secretary, Moss Evans, now hangs in the offices which were the former Hornsey Art College where Luff first studied.

Luff expresses particular satisfaction that Directors of the following Galleries have his works in their personal collections:

Redfern and Pringle Galleries, Cork St., London

Marlborough Gallery, Bond St., London

Absalom Gallery, Bath.

Ross Hammond Gallery, St. John's Wood, London

Osborne Gallery, Belgravia, London