Two modern Italian artists, and a tradition preserved, at Stamperia d’Arte Busato.

At the hands of three generations of skillful printers, the presses at Stamperia d’Arte Busato have brought to life the work of scores of artists, producing etchings, engravings and lithographs for the ages.

Today, in the northern Italian city of Vicenza, Giancarlo Busato carries on, using much of the same equipment as his father and grandfather, determined to preserve an art that is being displaced by modern technology.

In September and October, BlackBird Frame & Art will host an exhibition honoring the great printing tradition exemplified by Busato and his predecessors. Along with photographs of the print studio, the show will feature contemporary works by two of the talented artists who rely upon the Stamperia d’Arte Busato to produce their prints in this time-honored manner. Graziella Da Gioz and Vico Calabrò present very different styles, subjects and media, but both illustrate the magnificence of the print as art to be collected and enjoyed.

Frequently referred to as “original prints,” these are not reproductions but individual works printed from a plate or stone upon which the artist has created an image. But the making of a fine art print continues with the printer’s mastery of his craft, knowledge of his equipment and materials, and collaboration with the artist to achieve the desired colors, shading and effects.

The two featured artists put a modern face on a traditional medium. Vico Calabrò, born in 1938, is renowned as a fresco artist, but he has worked with Stamperia d’Arte Busato since 1969, achieving an impressive refinement of his prints. His stone lithographs often depict joyful dreamlike figures with an engaging but mysterious narrative, playfully drawn from an Italian Renaissance heritage.

Calabrò’s work is equally at home in traditional and contemporary settings, and can be framed in either style. His stone lithographs represent a medium not as commonly used as other printmaking methods, demanding particular skill on the part of both the artist and printer. Busato is one of the rare lithographers still using limestone plates from the Solnhofen quarries of southern Germany.

Graziella Da Gioz, also an accomplished artist, works in pastels, oils and etchings. Her landscapes and marine subjects project a calm but complex place, much of the form derived from shadows and undulations in otherwise smooth surfaces, taking the viewer to a direct and intimate interaction with the Earth.

This exhibit comprises etchings produced at Stamperia d’Arte Busato employing aquatint, drypoint and soft-ground techniques. Graziella Da Gioz is a masterful printmaker whose work stirs an emotional response to the land not unfamiliar to residents of our own mountain region.

This show is as much about the printer/artisan as it is about the artists themselves, and will include photographs of Giancarlo’s printmaking studio, where artists have found a dedicated partner since 1946. Its history is self-evident in the venerable presses, timeworn tools of the trade, and even the walls, bejeweled with framed art from decades of labor. In his own words, “This is a real print house where we live on just this piece of paper. I live on every piece of paper that I lift every day from my printing press.”

Framed and unframed prints will be displayed and for sale throughout September and October. Refreshments – with an Italian flavor – will be served at a casual opening on Saturday, September 5, 2015.

If You Go: Debut & refreshments Saturday, September 5, 2015, 10-3 p.m. On display September 1 – October 15, 2015. BlackBird Frame & Art is a custom framing studio that features fine art prints. The shop is located at 365 Merrimon Ave, mile north of downtown Asheville. Hours are 10-6 weekdays and 10-3 Saturdays. Phone (828) 225-3117 or visit blackbirdframe.com.