Hosted by the 1078 Gallery, the Chico Print Party returned on Sept. 18 and19. This event featured artists from all over Northern California and beyond, creating an event to discover new art for aspiring creatives. Crowds of students, parents and teachers were eager to buy work.

With a free RVSP, guests enjoyed live music, print demos, food, raffles and an indoor gallery.

Each artist had an individual booth to display and sell their work, which included screen printing, woodcuts and 3D sculptures. 

“I go through and carve all of it out with my tools by hand,” artist and Chico native Ross Wiegel said. 

Wiegel specializes in linocut, a type of print made from wood. Artists who specialize in this technique spend hours transferring ink to a wooden surface, followed by detailed carving. 

“I’ve done art my whole life but never got into this medium, I had it on this pedestal of difficulty,” Wiegel said. “I decided to take the climb and now it’s all I do.” 

 Wiegel describes his art as “cute gross,” which consists of animals such as beetles and butterflies captured in a dark aesthetic. His favorite piece is his sheep shearing print.

“Sheep shearing videos are a sigh of relief for me. It’s an homage to early 1920s drunk haircuts on the front porch.” 

Artist David Sutherland, enjoys spending time making art with his 5-year-old daughter. He creates artwork consisting of abstract action figures with cartoon-like faces. 

“My daughter helps scribble, the messiness adds to it.” 

With a bachelor’s degree in design from Chico, Sutherland prints all of his work digitally, transferring it to paper. Most of his work comes in postcard size, making it the perfect gift for a friend or loved one.

His passion for design came from classes at Chico State. The artist graduated in 2000 and has fallen in love with creating these “figures”. 

Chico State alumni Marisa Segovia takes a different route with her artistic talents.

“I try not to be as quiet in my art as I was in school, I feel like as an artist, we are one of the few people the public will actually listen to but in a different light,” 

Segovia addresses social issues, such as Black Lives Matter, in her art. She stencils her designs with black ink on clear vellum, the pressure washes it outside after sun exposure. Before transferring to Chico State in 2015, the artist had little knowledge about screen printing. It’s her passion and aspires to draw emotions from people through art. 

The Chico Print Party is hosted once a year and the event is open to all artists through an open call. During the summer of 2022, artists will have another opportunity to share their craft.

Jolie Asuncion can be reached out at [email protected]