Last week from April 28 to May 1, San Diego State University’s printmaking and lithography art students held a week-long art show in classroom 416 C. The doors remained open throughout the week from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., inviting students to walk in and check out the prints made by students. The event also hosted a reception as a small celebration on the final day.

For the show, several students from the printmaking and lithography classes chose one or two of their best prints from the semester. Overall there was no specific theme, and the chosen prints featured diverse subjects from animals to portraits by each respective artist. Apart from lithographs, students printed works use different techniques such as woodcuts, drypoint and aquatint etching.

The details for each work made for stunning works of art. Because most prints used black ink on white, the high contrast in value made the works pop out. Each detail also looked meticulously worked over, all finished with a fine quality. The more abstract portraits stuck out as personal favorites of, as they presented an imaginative subject.

Making prints is time-consuming, but the rewards are fabulous as you can make copies of each over and over again, art student Michael Simonetti said. For the show, Simonetti submitted a colored print of armadillos, an animal whose scaled outer shell comes out as a great pattern on a woodcut print.

On the last day, starting at 6 p.m., the show held a reception where students were welcome to grab some snacks and drinks while taking a look at the art one last time. Some of the students who submitted their works were also present at the reception, and they talked among one another about the particular themes and ideas they explored for their work. Though a small event, the week-long printmaking show ended on a good note with some insight gained about the art pieces and the artists behind them.

Also read: Five best tracks from April

Ryo Miyauchi, senior staff writer