THE FINE PRINTS

FLATBED PRESS AT 25 CELEBRATES THE BEST OF AUSTIN’S NATIONALLY REVERED STUDIO.

“PRINTMAKING ALLOWS US TO CREATE WORK THAT CAN BE VERY MEANINGFUL FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE.”

It’s a coffee table book worth its weight in art. As one of the country’s premier printmaking facilities, Austin’s Flatbed Press and Gallery has spent more than a quarter-century helping artists realize their visions. To celebrate its first 25 years, founders Mark Smith and Katherine Brimberry selected more than 35 diverse artists, from Julie Speed and Robert Rauschenberg to Terry Allen and Michael Ray Charles, to highlight in the beautiful and mesmerizing Flatbed Press at 25, published in late 2016 by the University of Texas Press.

The book’s 432 pages contain rich, colorful reproductions that draw you in. Making them even more compelling is the accompanying text by Smith and Brimberry that tells the stories behind the prints, including the specific challenges for each piece.

It’s all a testament to the beauty and importance of printmaking, especially in tumultuous times. “Art is essentially a universal language—it doesn’t matter what your politics are, what your religion is, what your ethnicity is, where you live,” says Smith. “Art is a bridge between all kinds of people. Printmaking allows us to create work that can be very meaningful for a lot of people.” Flatbed Press and Gallery, 2830 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., 512-477-9328; flatbedpress.com