Festive music greeted me as I walked towards the Oxford Castle’s market with its colourful stalls and fine ice sculptures. It was all part of Oxford’s Festival of Light – the night the Christmas lights were turned on and galleries and museums stayed openlate. I had called to see the Oxford Printmakers’ exhibition, and arrived covered with white ice droplets tossed over the crowds by a snow machine erected on the roof. Thankfully, it was snug and warm inside the O3 gallery.

The Printmakers were established as a co-operative in 1979 when a group of artists decided they needed to create facilities they could share in order to continue their work. Since then, they have gone from strength to strength. Their work is of the highest standard, and is always snapped up at their shows. Indeed, it is highly collectable. This show is no exception. It features a superb collection of imaginative prints which should solve any difficult Christmas gift problems.

Who could resist Betsy Tyler Bell’s lithograph Potter, its subject hunched over his wheel adding the final touches to a pot? It’s beautifully worked. Betsy has managed to capture that look of concentration that goes with losing yourself in your work. Jane Peart’s etching Two For Joy, with two magpies sitting among branches of autumn leaves, is delightful, and Marion Hill’s screenprint Turkish Bazaar, in soft pastel hues, is equally effective.

The swirling waters of Morna Rhys’s etching Taf Estuary is very atmospheric, and Catriona Brodribb’s woodcut Alphabet Soup is great fun. Ursula White’s intaglio Jailbird, with its golden beak and outstretched flapping wings, will attract loads of attention. Poor creature. Doesn’t he know escape from behind the bars would be possible if he made a lateral movement? A great picture.

The exhibition continues until January 10 and really does warrant a visit if you are in the during a Christmas shopping spree.