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# Jeff Soto's 'Rare Woods' Exhibition Sparks Creativity in Printmaking
- URL: https://www.raincrossgazette.com/jeff-sotos-rare-woods-exhibition-sparks-creativity-in-printmaking/
- Published: 2026-10-01T01:00:35.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-01T01:00:34.000Z
- Description: This October Will See the Opening of 'Rare Woods' at Pain Sugar Gallery in Downtown Riverside.
- Author: Maxen Olvera
- Tags: Arts, ArtsWalk

Thursday, Oct. 1, will see Downtown become an outdoor art exhibit featuring numerous local artists selling and showing off their prized work. ArtsWalk has been a longstanding tradition for the Riverside community that occurs every first Thursday of the month. In addition to local art vendors, art museums such as The Cheech and the Riverside Art Museum offer free admission for the whole night. On the way to The Cheech, you can take a quick pit stop at the renowned Urge Palette Art Supplies shop, which is right off the strip of the central ArtsWalk. You will be delighted to find "Rare Woods," a print show put on by Riverside art legend Jeff Soto at the shop's Pain Sugar Gallery. The show opens with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through Oct. 31.

Soto has been an artist ever since he was in elementary school. His teachers alerted his parents of his frequent notebook doodles. Not because they were upset; they were impressed with his talent. "My parents saw my talent and fostered it with art supplies," Soto said. During his teenage years, he would dive into Marvel comic books and various skate magazines. The vivid art styles led him to discover graffiti with some friends. Simultaneously, the glow of a TV screen projecting public television brought him a TV painting instructor named Bill Alexander. He had a show called "The Magic of Oil Painting" that taught viewers like Soto how oil painting could be used to capture majestic landscapes. His college years at Riverside Community College and ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena allowed Soto to hone his creative skills. At college, he saw that art could be a legitimate profession that could provide both a living and satisfaction. Both artistic dimensions (graffiti and traditional painting) laid the groundwork for Soto's future artwork. Most of the time his paintings highlight abstract figures, organic materials, owls, butterflies and many other pillars of nature. His work has been shown everywhere from Los Angeles to Paris. Soto's extensive catalogue constructs a bridge between the world of surrealism and the spontaneity of street art.

Soto, an associate professor of art and department co-chair at Riverside City College, has returned from a spring sabbatical. During the sabbatical, Soto worked day and night to learn more about the printmaking process. The process of printmaking has an entirely different genetic makeup when compared to painting. "I also spent the sabbatical researching printmaking history and techniques through visits to museums and artists' studios, experiences I look forward to bringing back to the classroom this fall," Soto said. His research inspired him to put on a showcase that spotlighted the magic of printmaking. The showcase, dubbed "Rare Woods," represents the core of Soto's sabbatical: "learning from experienced printmakers while also learning through teaching those new to the process." The show features prints Soto created during his sabbatical alongside work by more than 20 invited artists in an exhibit that celebrates spontaneous creativity. Each artist was given the opportunity to produce etchings, linocuts and work in other printmaking techniques with no required theme or subject. Nearly all of the prints were made on Soto's Blick 999 Model II in his Riverside studio. The artists are current and former RCC art students Soto taught, along with members of the college's art faculty. One of Soto's past students happens to be his daughter, Shannon Soto. Everyone who has a print has a connection to Soto and the RCC community. Soto is honored to give a platform that bridges a gap between Riverside creatives and the mesmerizing mysticism of printmaking.

**More information:* "Rare Woods," featuring prints by Soto and more than 20 RCC-affiliated artists, opens with a reception Thursday, Oct. 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. and runs through Oct. 31 at Pain Sugar Gallery inside Urge Palette Art Supplies, 3635 Ninth St., Riverside. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. The shop is closed Sunday. Follow Soto on Instagram at*[*@jeffsotoart*](https://www.instagram.com/jeffsotoart/?ref=raincrossgazette.com) *and at* [*jeffsoto.com*](https://jeffsoto.com/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*, and the gallery at* [*@pain.sugar.gallery*](https://www.instagram.com/pain.sugar.gallery/?ref=raincrossgazette.com)*.*