The last (steam)roll for Bend printing event

Atelier 6000 is a professional printmaking studio and gallery in Bend but on Sunday the art was out in the parking lot and be steamrolled — apparently for the last time.

The “Under Pressure” steamroller event has been going on since 2007, and sadly the last roll was this weekend.

The studio is stopping the event after this year.

But for those in attendance, they watched what artists could do with large format prints, some six feet long and four feet wide — and a big steamroller machine rolling on top of the pieces.

“It’s the weight of that particular piece of equipment also we can crush things into the paper.” said Pat Clark, Atelier 6000 president. “Things I would never allow people to put through the presses in the studio we can do out here.”

Last years artwork is on display at Townshend’s Tea in downtown Bend.

This year’s artwork will be featured in their spring gala.

Atelier 6000 just became a non-profit, which means the studio can work closer with the community and offer more scholarships and classes.

Event organizers said they felt the “Under Pressure” event has run its course and they wanted to focus on other techniques and processes of printmaking to present to the community, starting with miniature prints next year — from the very big to the very small.

But they won’t rule out another steamroller event in a few years — down the road, you might say.