October Artist Spotlight: Jayson Sol
How did you start creating art?The way I started creating artwork... Well I always drew as a child. A lot of stick figure comics and copying my favorite cartoons. I started taking it seriously, for lack of a better word, about five years ago. I first got into painting (mainly acrylic) and also dabbled with photography for a while. Both ventures didn’t go anywhere and I haven’t practiced much of either for years. What really ensnared me was a printmaking course I took at ACC several years ago. I took it as a prerequisite and completely fell in love with the entire process and the styles of printing. I tried to spend as much time as possible in the studio while also creating a workspace in my house for when I couldn’t go to the studio. I took the course multiple times, trying my hands with lithography and linocut printing. These days I do the majority of my work from home and I try to continually work and become better at it. What is your preferred medium? My preferred medium is linoleum block printing. The practice where you carve away the negative space in a mounted block of linoleum to create the image. After you finish carving, you apply a thin layer of oil based ink with a brayer, and then use the block like a giant stamp. I either transfer the image by hand with a Japanese baren or use my press, depending on the complexity of the image. How does reuse play a part in your art?Reuse plays a big part in my work. My first brayer was bought from ACR and I still use it today. I have bought so many frames from there. They have either been used for prints I’ve sold or ones I’ve hung in my house. One in particular is housing two prints I have on display at the Downtowner Gallery in Round Rock, Texas. I like buying second hand frames a lot - it helps save costs of framing and I often find more interesting ones than you get in art supply stores. I appreciate greatly that reuse culture has found its way into artists' lives. It helps encourage new ideas and helps with waste that is entirely too prominent in our world. How has your art adapted during the pandemic?If the pandemic has done anything for my artwork, I believe it helped honed it. With so much time being at home, it has allowed a hyper focus on what I’ve been creating. I would say that it has helped me release a lot of anxiety and stress from the frightening uncertainty that this year has created. More so, the pandemic helped me realize my true love for my craft. It’s the one thing that keeps me continually interested and engaged. Keeps my spirits high and mood optimal. I don’t know if it has adapted, so much to say it has improved. I’m still doing what I started doing several years ago but now it’s from home. I think my artwork has helped me adapt to this year than it has adapted to the year. Do you have a favorite ACR find? What did you do with it?Dang, that’s a hard one! There’s been so many through the years. Probably my brayer, it’s a four inch Speedball brayer and I use it more than any I own. I’ve enjoyed all the frames I’ve bought over the years. Many are decorating my living room. I found this beautiful 2006 calendar a year ago. It’s decorated with Japanese woodblock prints, a different design per month. I love it. It hangs right above my press and I look at it often. Where can we find out more about your art?Anytime someone asks where they can find my art, I always tell them to just check out my Instagram account - @jayson_sol. That’s where all my latest and most old stuff is located. Those saved stories that float right below your account bio are awesome for cataloging your work and anything you see in those clips, I have multiple copies of. Anytime someone wants to buy something from me, I just tell them to send me a photo and I’ll set aside a copy of what they want. I’m very open about discussing my work! I encourage people to message me if they have questions about my process and how I create my stuff. Hear more about Jayson and his art in the ATX Artist Social podcast episode here. 
