Printmaking Masters on Display at Bihl Haus Arts Exhibition

Last Saturday, a yard sign sat on Fredericksburg road with handwritten letters announcing ‘Art Reception.’ At first glance, I thought I might be in the wrong place, as the sign was situated at the entrance of a gated apartment complex. I walked straight through and followed the noise of gentle art chatter, with Bihl Haus Arts nestled into the Sorento residential area. 

Opening reception of Printmaking from San Antonio and Beyond: A Showcasing of Contemporary Prints at Bihl Haus Arts. Image courtesy of Laurel Westphal. 

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure what to expect or what kind of work awaited me. However, upon entering, the high ceilings and bright atmosphere felt like an oasis in the middle of the Texas heat. Conversation was upbeat, a duo played guitar and drums, and the work awaited to be viewed. Lining the walls around me, prints of all kinds were arranged in an eclectic display of mastery.   

Bihl Haus Arts held their opening reception for Printmaking from San Antonio and Beyond: A Showcasing of Contemporary Prints on June 14, 2025. The exhibition features master printmakers from inside and outside of Texas, also including work by artists from places like California, Virginia, and Mexico. The space is absolutely stacked with work, ranging in techniques from lithography, serigraph, linocut, intaglio, and more. Side by side and covering the span of its walls, Bihl Haus honors printmaking’s potential to take on many different forms through unique approaches to the traditional medium. 

Steve Prince, Hallelujah Anyhow. Installation view at Bihl Haus.  Image courtesy of Laurel Westphal. 

The mastery of technical abilities jumped off the walls throughout the space, though I paused in front of Steve Prince’s work with its notably tight and intentional markings. His linocut, Hallelujah Anyhow, reflects an accomplished carving hand and ability to evoke deeply rooted cultural histories, similar to the prints of Elizabeth Catlett. Larger than life and displayed high on the wall, a pensive woman balances buildings upon her head and on her hip, gazing directly at the viewer. Captivating, spiritual, and personal, I can’t look away. Her expression at once feels exhausted and protective, inviting you to wonder what she’s endured. 

Flowers and Rocks at Rivers Edge by San Antonio artist Margaret Craig is a multilayer work including screen printing, repurposed plastic, handmade paper, and more. Swirling and alive, the composition echoes the organic forms found in nature, specifically drawing on San Antonio’s unique river geography. Playful and ethereal, the piece has its own ecosystem inviting the viewer to explore it, directly influenced by Craig’s work in biology. 

Chaz Bojórquez, SALA (San Antonio exchange with Los Angeles). Installation view at Bihl Haus. Image courtesy of Laurel Westphal. 

Chaz Bojórquez’s serigraph SALA (San Antonio exchange with Los Angeles) jumps off the page, a loud orange graffiti text merging the identities of these two cities. While this work was made in 2003, there’s an eerie timeliness to it. Its smooth rendering and bright palette emulate digital creations, while the content points to a unity of local identity transcending states. Bojórquez has found his footing by challenging conventional gallery norms with the representation of rasquachismo, with this work being no exception. It’s a message well reflected in the rest of the exhibition; no matter how different the work may be, artists are still participating in the same medium. 

Seeing such starkly unique works displayed near each other put a smile on my face for the simple fact that printmaking as a medium is expansive. If you printed it, if you did some kind of process, if you’re telling some kind of story; it’s a print. Each work showed inquisitive and advanced processes while still exploring their own respective aesthetics. It was clear to me that this show wasn’t telling one singular story, but rather many at the same time. The collective celebration was of the printmakers themselves, of their ability to jump off the page in their own way, and execute it with excellence. 

‘Printmaking from San Antonio and Beyond: A Showcase of Contemporary Prints’ is on view at Bihl Haus Arts until July 12, 2025. The gallery is open Fridays and Saturdays from 1-4pm or by appointment.