Artist: Ashton Leigh Will

Show: South Gallery, Armistead-Pace Building, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, Virginia

Dates: May 19-26, 2023

Media: Plexiglass printing, 3-D printing, dry point (monochromatic and multi-colored), trace monotype, colograph printing, digital art, and photography 

Video Overview by the Artist 🎦

Emphases: Character Design, Japan

This art show serves as a capstone for his Asian studies, studio art, his study abroad and his personal interest in manga. It is additionally an outcome component of his Gilman Scholarship (US Department of State program).

Artist's statement:

Colors of Japan

When I was in Japan to study abroad, I was awed by the sights I was able to view, both in nature and among urban environments. I wanted to bring some of those views to life in conjunction with my character designs. I've been practicing character design for over 7 years, mainly with characters from my original series, Colors. I also wanted to combine that experience with a new medium that I have drawn a lot of inspiration from in printmaking. This is a show about progression- my progression in drawing the human body, the progression of how art evolved in Japan when manga was inspired by ukiyo-e woodblock prints, and the progression of time itself.

Artwork shown above: Nara, Ashton Leigh Will, ©️2023

Characters from Ashton's upcoming graphic novel Colors are featured in this art show, shown in settings from Okinawa, Osaka, Nara and Tokyo, Japan.