35th annual 'Small Print Show' impresses with intricate, yet affordable fine art

For Deborah Maris Lader, there’s nothing more beautiful than drawing on a piece of rock.

She expressed that sentiment on Saturday at the 35th annual Small Print Show and Holiday Sale at the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative print shop.

Pointing to a hunk of limestone sourced from a mine in Bavaria, she explained the intricate, nine-month printmaking behind one of her pieces, “Can’t See the Forest for the Poet Trees.” First, as part of the color lithography process, she sketched on the rock and used oil-based ink to print the image on paper. Then, she added more color using acrylic, water-based inks on a screen printer.

The result is an engaging yellow and blue nature scene featuring water, fish, birds and trees bearing a labyrinth of branches. It is one of hundreds of prints for sale at the Lincoln Square event, which continues on Sunday. For those who need longer to shop, the collaborative will offer extended holiday hours from noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 10 through Dec. 22.

The show is a celebration of fine art printmaking using not only stone, but wood, glass, copper plates and more. Despite the complexity of the process, some pieces are available for as low as $15. And featured artists hail from Chicago as well as other cities and countries.

“People can usually afford a small print that's handmade, whereas a painting or something might be out of reach for some people,” said Lader, who is the founder and co-director of the collaborative. “There's something for everybody. And it involves so many people. It's more encompassing of our art community as printmakers, as well as the community at large. And it tends to be a show where we can really engage our neighbors in our broader city.”

The prints feature a variety of images, including bats, fish, skylines, trains, portraits of people and more. Among the standouts are Mexican artist Alberto Cruz’s black and white figures featuring relief prints made using carved linoleum. Also intriguing are Bloomington artist Sarah Smelser’s colorful, abstract monotype prints, which are created using plexiglass or another smooth surface.

Lader said she enjoys teaching customers as they are perusing the prints.

"We actually love when people don't know how it's done," she said. "If we can educate people about what they're buying, they are so much more excited about it."

The printmakers were also enthusiastic as they described their work on display. Chicago Printmakers Collaborative co-director Lauren Steinert explained that her four-piece "Trace" series was created using the chine collé technique, which is done by adhering thinner rice papers to thicker papers. The circular images are filled with a series of lines and spots that have been interpreted as being maps and moons.

"Those prints are taken from communal workspaces," Steinert said. "So, I go into different spaces and archive and document the marks that people leave behind on tools and surfaces. All of these spaces have memories of people and their presence within those spaces. I just find those objects really beautiful, and I believe objects hold memories more distinctly than people do."

Steinert will succeed Lader, who will soon step down as director but continue to work with the collaborative.

"I'm immensely overjoyed with being able to work with people to support education and just spread the joy of printmaking," Steinert said. "And the CPC has such a wonderful history. It has such a wonderful community."

Lader founded the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative in Wicker Park in 1989. She's originally from Cleveland and fell in love with printmaking when she took a class at Cornell University. She found that the art form combined her passion for both drawing and sculpting.

"It's much easier to store prints than it is to store sculptures," she said.

Now in its third location, the collaborative has about 15 to 20 artists. The space also serves as a gallery and studio where people can take printmaking classes.

"Usually print shops are community spaces because you have to share resources," Lader said. "It's a community of mutual support."

Lader's friend Maryanne Johnson, who lives in Lincoln Square, attended the event Saturday and purchased some bird prints. She said she appreciated the affordability of such high-quality art.

"Just seeing the space and meeting the artists is a great experience," Johnson added. "They can all talk about what's involved in making these pieces of art, which will help buyers appreciate what they're getting. It's not just simple drawing. There's so much more that goes into it."