Artist Statement:
I work in black-and-white fine art photography, specializing in mordançage—a rare darkroom process that lifts and reshapes a print’s emulsion. While I control the subject, light, and framing, the process transforms the image in ways I could never fully plan, creating textures, veils, and distortions unique to each piece. Alongside mordançage, I also create traditional black-and-white photographs in both film and digital formats, focusing on self-portraits, nature, waterfalls, and people. Across these different approaches, I am drawn to the emotional weight and timeless quality of black-and-white imagery.
My connection to mordançage is deeply personal. I’ve lived with depression, anxiety, panic disorder, and other challenges that have shaped how I see the world. Its imperfections and unpredictability mirror those experiences—messy and, at times, destructive, yet capable of transformation. In its chaos, I see growth, and a reminder that imperfection can hold beauty all on its own.
For me, photography is more than technique—it’s a way of exploring resilience. Whether through the fragile veils of mordançage or the stillness of black-and-white landscapes, each image carries both the moment it was captured and the emotional resonance that lingers beyond it. My work invites viewers to pause, look closer, and recognize the value in imperfection, reflection, and transformation.
Bio:
Ashley-Maria Gilson is a fine art photographer whose work centers on mordançage, a rare and labor-intensive darkroom process. She began her creative journey in black-and-white film photography, drawn to its timeless quality and ability to convey emotion through light and shadow. Over time, her interest in experimental techniques led her to mordançage, where she found a process that matched her fascination with texture, impermanence, and transformation.
Through mordançage, Ashley-Maria manipulates silver gelatin prints by hand, lifting and veiling the emulsion to create delicate, unpredictable patterns. Each piece is entirely unique, merging the precision of photography with the expressive freedom of painting. Her imagery often explores reflection, decay, and the beauty found within fragility.
While mordançage remains central to her practice, she also creates self-portraits and both film and digital photographs of nature, waterfalls, and people. Across these series, her work continues to explore light, reflection, and the beauty within transformation, bridging traditional photographic approaches with her experimental darkroom practice.
Starting with a foundation in traditional darkroom work, Ashley-Maria has developed a body of art that connects photographic history with contemporary expression. She earned her Associate’s Degree in Photography from Spokane Falls Community College in 2019, where her creative roots were planted in the darkroom and her love for alternative processes first began. Her work has been exhibited in local galleries, and she continues to expand her portfolio while pushing the boundaries of mordançage—preserving and evolving a process practiced by few artists today.
For print inquiries, commissions, or collaborations, please get in touch through the contact page.