August’s inaugural "PrintBig" project imprinted Hawaii artist Sergio Garzon with big aspirations.

The event invited printmakers to spend the spring months creating a design and carving it into wood blocks 8-by-4 feet in size; then in August the blocks were inked (some took up to an hour) and pressed to large fabric canvases via steamroller on the asphalt fronting the Hono­lulu Museum of Art School.

After spending subsequent months on tour, the prints are being displayed in two rotations at the Louis Pohl Gallery through Jan. 31.

The diverse works center on the theme "From the Ground Up: Growing Local" and express the artists’ thoughts about food and the local community. Pieces range from Garzon’s "Magic Banana Peel," depicting a cornucopia of locally grown food, to "Koele: Dividing the Land" a group piece by Kimberly Chai, Liz Nakoa and Laura Smith that tracks farmland divisions.

The latter involved smaller woodblocks that were traded among the artists so they could add their designs to each one. The work features plants from locally farmed crops and references traditional land divisions that decreased in size through the generations.

Another group work, "Netted," from Gina Bacon Kerr, Judy El, Lois Kapitaniuk, Michael Kerr, Yvette Muta, Barbara Oka­moto, Frannie Oka­moto and Hari­nani Orme, was meant as a celebration of local farms, island food and the concept of "Eat Right, Eat Local." Manga Bento’s "Sumi and Bento Bodysurfing" rounds out the first group of prints.

The second set will hit the gallery walls next month.

The works — along with the huge woodblocks from which they were printed — have been touring schools and were displayed at a health conference, serving as an educational tool about healthy food and gardens, Garzon says.

"Prints this large are somewhat monumental, and the beautiful thing is they have a loud voice," he said.

Their functional purpose has inspired Garzon to organize "PrintBigger," another large-scale printmaking event using a steamroller, for February.

It will take place on First Friday on the streets of Chinatown. Several "PrintBig" artists have given the OK to exhibit their works from the past summer, and Garzon has booked three new artists. He hopes to assemble a group of 10.

He already is planning his piece for February: a 36-by-24-foot print of a giant whale.

After First Friday, Garzon plans to move the pieces to Kakaako, site of a developing urban art scene, for the POW WOW Hawai‘i 2013 art event.

The steamroller printing events "get people to see new ways to create artwork," he said. "It’s a great way to get people fired up about art."