Artist Statement:
Working mainly with ceramics and printmaking, my art explores the complex relationship between consumer culture, identity, and societal expectations. Utilizing slip-casting techniques alongside screen printing, I craft consumer goods that feature custom labels, mirroring my personal experiences and the nuanced role I play in capitalism. My creative process emulates industrial production, beginning with designing logos that I screen print onto chipboard and then transfer to ceramic pieces. The colors achieved through screen print ink and ceramic glaze emerge from distinct processes, each offering varying degrees of control. This often leads to a tension between my original vision and the imperfect translation onto clay. Through this contrast, I foster a conversation between intention and reality, highlighting the disconnect in visual qualities between my screen prints and ceramic works.
Artist Biography:
Byron Ashley is a Printmaker and Ceramist from Topeka, KS. He graduated from Kansas State University with a B.F.A. in studio art with a concentration in Printmaking. Upon graduating he was an intern for Island Press at Washington University St. Louis and Flatbed Press in Austin, Texas. Currently, he studying at Texas Tech University for an M.F.A. in Printmaking with a secondary concentration in Ceramics. His work features ceramic objects of discarded products and screen printed packaging. Most recently his work has been featured in Paper & Clay in 2024 and 2025, and in MESH in 2024 at Pyramid Atlantic.