Deborah Maris Lader

Deborah Maris Lader (Artist, Musician, Performer, Administrator) is the Founder/Director of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative since 1989, and member of the touring Altfolk band, Sons of the Never Wrong. Deborah exhibits her prints, drawings, photography, and mixed media artwork internationally, and her work appears in many permanent collections, including the Chicago History Museum, the New York Public Library, and the City of Palo Alto. Deborah was awarded Outstanding Printmaker 2016 by the Mid America Print Council for her work and her contribution to the printmaking community. Other awards for her service to the artistic community include "The 2007 Arts Advocate Award" from ArtWalk Ravenswood, "The 1999 Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award" given by Columbia College, Chicago, and "Cultural Contributor of the Year", presented to her by the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce in 2003. She is a former Board member of the Mid America Print Council, the Chicago Artists Coalition and the American Print Alliance. Her artwork has been featured in numerous books and publications. Recent solo exhibitions include Bert Green Fine Art (Chicago), Galerie La Hune-Brenner in Paris, France, Firecat Projects (Chicago), Anderson Arts Center (Kenosha, WI), Jennifer Norback Gallery (Chicago) and others. She's a regular guest on art podcasts and radio features, and a frequent contributor at conferences, panel presentations, and visiting artist residencies. Deborah also plays guitar, mandolin, piano and banjo and writes songs and sings with her band, which recently released their 10th studio album. If you visit my studio, you'll notice that the work is varied, but clearly that of a person in love with printmaking. As I draw on plate and stone, burn images onto screens or carve into wood, I let the process of making guide me where it wants to lead, and I'm often surprised by the resulting messages and visual information. Why did that fish just hop onto my stone? Why does the bird soar via parachute? Why do I keep drawing elaborate rootlike motifs that become hair or rope or seaweed? The imagery in my etchings, lithographs, screen prints and recent explorations with found glass are derived from both dreams and life, and the way these experiences are sewn together, with odd bits of memories mixed and strewn throughout. Birds and fish migrate on waves of cloud and sea, using their senses to navigate their way. We watch in wonder as they flit and float, and are inspired to be our better selves. I'm interested in the idea of fragility - of our faculties, our senses, and of our "place" in the world and how, in the pursuit of saving it, we might save ourselves.

All of the works in this section are matted and framed

Air and Water Show, 3 color lithograph, frame size 16x15,image 10x9,matted and framed, $950

Alight in the Abyss, 3 color lithograph, image 8x9, matted and framed, $575

Chicago is for pLovers, Two plate color etching, 20 x 30, (image 12 x 24), matted and framed, $1800

Current Sea, lithograph with chine colle, image 10x8, matted and framed, $725

Encounter, Color etching with chine colle, 33 x 17 (image 24 x 9), matted, framed, $1600

Can't See the Forest for the Poet Trees (Entangled in Air)
Hand colored lithograph, 25 x 19, image: 15 x 13, amtted, framed, $2200

The Heron and the Fish, etching with chine colle´, 32 x 28 (image, 24x22), matted, framed, $1900

Odyss-See, Two color etching, Image 7x5, matted and framed, $675

Redbird's Adventure, Two plate color etching with chine colle 46 x 31 (Image 36 x 23), matted and framed, $2800

Undertakers Songbook, Three color lithograph using stone and plate. 28 x 33 (Image 21 x 26), matted, framed, $2100

Entwined in Rays of Tears, Two plate color etching with chine colle´ 33 x 20, (Image 24 x 22), matted, framed, $1500

Etched glass

Lookout, etched and inked glass in frame, 1.5 x 1.5, $175

Gull 232, etched and inked glass lense & found objects, 10x8, $600

Shadow Perch, etched and inked glass fragment & found objects, 9x4, $500

Fragile Flight, 16x5, etched and inked glass & found objects, 16x5, $700

Suspended Dream, etched and inked glass & found objects, 28x5, $800

Balancing Act, etched and inked glass & found objects, 10x8, $600

Dip, etched and inked glass and found objects, 12x3, $550

Crest, etched and inked glass & found objects, 9x3, $500

Shadow Flight, etched and inked glass & found objects, 9x5, $600

Gaze, etched and inked glass & found objects, 7x3, $500

Perch, etched and inked glass in frame, 1.5 x 1.5, $175

The Gift, engraved, drypointed and inked vintage eye glasses, $600

Sun Spots, engraved, drypointed and inked vintage eye glasses, $600

Bird's Eyeview, engraved, drypointed and inked vintage eye glasses, $600

Shadowlines, engraved, drypointed and inked vintage eye glasses, $600

Temporary View, engraved, drypointed and inked vintage eye glasses, $450

Small Framed Works

All works are matted and framed

Wire, etching, image 2" diameter, $195

Turnaround, etching, image 2" diameter, $195

Waxwing, etching with chine colle, image 4 x 3, $375

Entangled, etching, 10 x 8 (image 4 x 1), $225

I Was Here!, photopolymer etching, 9 x 8 (image 2 x 2), $195

Lines, photopolymer etching, 9 x 8 (image 2.25 x 2), $195

Sentry, photopolymer etching, 5 x 7 (image 1.25 x .75), $175

Jay, etching, 5 x 7 (image 1.5 x 1.5), $175

Ravenking, etching with chine colle, 5 x 7 (image 1 diam), $150

Alterego, etching, 8.5 x 8.25 (image 3 x 3), $195