“Prints by Northwest Artists” opened Friday afternoon at the SRJC art gallery located on the first floor of the Frank P. Doyle Library. This show, subtitled “Significant Impressions in Printmaking from Oregon, Washington and Montana,” drew a crowd of about 40 art teachers, art students and art lovers to the gallery.

The show uses the geography of the gallery effectively, laying a visual crash course in the history of print making in the first room. The second room opens up to reveal a collection of contemporary works showcasing a variety of themes.

Kevin Fletcher, the show’s curator, also teaches printmaking at SRJC. He lived in the Pacific Northwest for many years, and still shows work at a gallery in Portland. He worked with contacts there to hand select pieces for the show.

From the entrance the most striking piece is a small press used to print etchings. The machine sits in the middle of the first room, flanked by a case containing the chisels and other tools used in the print makers’ craft.

Surrounding these tools and filling the front room of the gallery are prints from Fletcher’s personal collection. These pieces showcase the use of printing in books from an era before photography.

“There is work that is illustrational from newspapers and books prior to photography being used.” Fletcher explained.

The second room is split into multiple themes exploring first the world around us and then moving on to look at the inner landscape formed by our interpersonal connections. “There is a theme of urban life that gives way to the great outdoors which moves on to weather and climate. In the back room you have flora and fauna,” Fletcher said. The themes progress as one travels counterclockwise around the second room. From flora and fauna the pices shift from nature to a collection of prints that depict human endeavor, which then transitions to human relationships.

The show is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and noon to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays and runs through March 12.