The Art Students of Gaithersburg Middle School worked with Maryland Printmakers member Linda Harrison-Parsons to present "Expressive Impression - Imaginative Prints from Natural and Recycled Materials."

The project was made possible through a grant from The Maryland State Arts Council, additional funding and support through the Gaithersburg Arts Council and Gaithersburg Middle School, and through the loan of a press by Maryland Printmakers.

The students worked on this project in May and June of 1997, creating Collagraph printing plates. A Collagraph is made by attaching textural materials to a background plate (a piece of cardboard). The textures, in this case, were created using pieces of cheesecloth, burlap, corrugated board, netting and leaves. Images were created to place on top of the textured surface, keeping nature as the main theme. Many students looked to the ocean for their inspiration and created whales and dolphins by cutting them out of cardboard. After the final image was glued to the surface, the entire surface was painted with gesso (a water based latex paint). The gesso protected the printing plate, making it ready for printing with water colors and water based inks. The students printed on paper and material, and the material prints were sewed together to create quilts to be displayed at the school.

The students and art teachers (Cecilla Murphy and Judith Portugal) worked with the Artist In Residence, helping to create these works, and to mat and frame the pieces for display.