Intaglio Proofs

Ralph Slatton began his art career at an early age.  He devoted most of his childhood tracing images from  art and science books.  He later drew inspiration from the rural surroundings of his home and his neighborhood.  As a resident of a small farming community in Northeast Arkansas, Slatton found endless subject matter from the animals and landscapes of his backyard. 

After his military service, Slatton enrolled as a chemistry major, at Arkansas State University.  He soon discovered that he was more interested in drawing glassware and molecular diagrams, rather than studying equations.  After the first year, he changed his major to art, eventually completing his BFA, with emphasis in sculpture.  Having doubts about his career in art, he enrolled as an electrical engineering student at the University of Arkansas.  He completed about two years in the program and decided to abandon his engineering studies for the MA studio program in printmaking at Arkansas State University. Upon graduation with the MA degree, he was accepted in the University of Iowa, MFA program, which was then ranked as the number one printmaking program nationally. 

A defining moment for Slatton was his work study position as Assistant Registrar at the University’s Museum of Art.  He was able to access literally hundreds of ancient artifact from the Pre-Columbian and African collections.  This resource provided amazing subject matter for his personal direction as an artist.  Slatton’s capstone experience at Iowa was when he served as museum courier for an African exhibition to the Taiwan Museum of Art.

In his last semester at Iowa, Slatton was offered two positions, one as museum curator for the Native American collections at the South Dakota Art Museum in Brookings.  The other position was assistant professor at East Tennessee State University, in charge of drawing and pre-medical illustration.  Slatton decided to accept the latter and has held the position at ETSU since 1990.  Since that time, he has served on numerous university committees including: Promotion Tenure Committee, Faculty Council Chair, and Department Chair of Art and Design.  Ralph Slatton presently teaches full time, in charge of printmaking, also with duties in drawing and comic book illustration.