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

