Byron Ashley, a third year MFA candidate in printmaking and ceramics, had several artworks selected into the Marfa Invitational, an exhibition of Texas Artists presented at Saint George Hall in Marfa, TX and organized by Michael Phelan (May 15-26, 2025). 

In May Ashley, in a collaboration with the Speedball Corporation, will also be doing an "Instagram Takeover" for Speedball Ceramic's Instagram account. During the week of May 12-16, 2025 he will be posting videos and reels of his screenprinting underglaze processes on greenware and waterslide decal paper using Speedball Ceramics' line of Ceramic Underglazes.

In October 2024, Ashley presented research into non-toxic methods of etching using Gac 200, aluminum plates and copper sulfate at the Mid-American Print Council Conference, a biennial printmaking conference that took place in Manhattan KS.

Below is Ashley's abstract that was selected for presentation:

"Aluminum etching is an intaglio technique in which an aluminum plate is first covered with a resistant ground for non-image areas. Then the exposed metal part is dissolved in a copper sulfate solution, creating depressed lines and shapes that are later inked and printed. This is a rapid chemical process using a chemical reaction between aluminum and copper in the solution, not an etching process. Thus, no harmful fume is produced. Also, you do not have to spray aquatint resist on the plate as the aluminum automatically creates crystalline texture. In this demo, we will present a way of creating a hardground using screenprinting method. The formula of mixing acrylic polymer medium and common screenprinting ink as a ground and a stop-out will be introduced. It is an environmentally friendly and affordable method of creating digital/photo-based intaglio without the cost of expensive photopolymer plates and encourages larger format and experimental intaglios. These soft materials, aluminum plates and acrylic polymers, really matter!"

Learn more about Byron Ashley.

 

Joshua Mokry and S Sanchez

Grad Students Joshua Mokry and S Sanchez Selected into TASA Exhibition