34 | JULY 28 • 2022
NEXT DOR
C
ara Lazare calls the
art of printmaking
“very meditative.”
“I can get lost in the carving
process,” says the Ferndale-
based Jewish artist who
specializes in printmaking. “I
don’t have to think about the
outside world.”
For Lazare, 29, print-
making is an almost Zen-like
activity where she can hone in
on the highly detail-oriented
process at hand. As a lifelong
artist, Lazare grew up drawing
and was inspired by her
mother (also a lifelong artist)
to get creative.
“I was the kid who was
drawing in the margins of
paper instead of writing
notes,” Lazare recalls.
As she became old enough
to attend Central Michigan
University, Lazare knew
she wanted to pursue art
as her career. “I started out
as a painting student,” she
says. “Then I took one intro
printmaking class in college,
and I was hooked.”
Instead of painting, Lazare
spent her days in the print
studios. She even became
a print assistant for her
professor at the time. “I
haven’t looked back,” she says
of the artform.
Now, Lazare sells her
printmaking throughout
Metro Detroit. She can be
found at different pop-ups
and art events, where she
sells items like bookmarks
with repetitive blocks or
sustainable totes stamped
with her handmade prints.
AN ORGANIC STYLE
While her designs look
almost geometric in nature,
Lazare says they are far from
symmetrical. “There is this
organic aspect to it,” she says
of her process. “Everything
is drawn freehand. There
are things that are a little bit
different from the next, which
I really like because it’s not all
perfect.”
She calls her style
simplistic, even though her
work is very detailed. “I like
the simplicity of black on a
neutral tone,” she explains. “I
like the calmness, nothing too
extravagant.”
Printmaking involves
several steps that Lazare
completes over a period of
time. She always carries a
notebook with her, which
she’ll sketch in when she
gets inspired. “I start with a
lot of intuitive drawing,” she
explains. “If it’s something
that I really enjoy, I’ll go back
and redraw that drawing on
my linoleum block.”
To find inspiration, Lazare
often turns to architecture. “I
love the repetitive aspects,”
she says. “A lot of times there
are geometric and there are
organic styles, so I definitely
pick up on that.” She’s also
inspired by florals and
anything with a “really good
pattern to it.”
After her sketch is redrawn
on a linoleum block, she’ll
begin the carving process,
which can take anywhere
from a few hours to a few
days or weeks. “When it’s
finally completed, I’ll roll
ink on it, put it on a piece of
paper and run it through my
printing press,” Lazare says.
If the work is satisfactory,
she’ll then create an edition
of prints. However, it’s not
always on the first try.
“If I carve something and I
Inside the art of printmaking with
Ferndale-based artist Cara Lazare.
A Pop-Up Artist
ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Cara Lazare sells
her work at pop-
up events all over
town.
Florals are one
source of her
inspiration.
VOICE OF THE NEW
JEWISH GENERATION