The Leighton Art Centre is celebrating the art of printmaking with its newest exhibit, Impressions.

Stephanie Doll, director of exhibitions, museum and programming, says Impressions features 68 works of art by 17 Alberta artists.

She explains that the exhibit features various types of printmaking processes on canvas, textiles and household goods, such as chairs, tablecloths and pillows.

"It has a very special quality," Doll says. "There are a lot of art forms where the artist can just freehand an image. With printmaking, it's very technical. It takes a lot of skill and a lot of patience to be able to create an image."

She points out that the history of the Leighton Art Centre has strong ties to the art of printmaking. The late Barbara Leighton, founder of Leighton Art Centre, was a well-known Alberta printmaker.

"She started making prints in the 1940s," Doll says. "She was making prints of her husband, A.C. Leighton's artwork, and she titled her works 'Barleigh' for Barbara Leighton. A.C. Leighton would do a painting and she would copy that painting exactly. Then, she would carve linocuts for the paintings so she could print up to 100 editions of his work."

She adds that Impressions offers visitors an opportunity to explore the work of more experienced artists as well as some emerging talent.

"Some of our emerging artists are experimenting with digital output and silkscreening so they're able to create these interesting, modern images," Doll says. "It's definitely worth coming to check out."

The Leighton Art Centre is located on Range Road 23 in Millarville. Impressions runs until September 24.