[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Thursday, 25 June 1998 Volume 03 : Number 193 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ray Esposito Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 11:30:48 -0400 Subject: [Baren 991] book review follow-up Just a note from the book I reviewed that might concern those of you still trying to decide on which wood to use. When the late Hirarsuka Un'ichi was visiting his daughter, artist Kieko Moore (I mentioned her book in a previous post but did not do a review) in Wahsington, D.C. (a visit that lasted more than 26 years), the book mentions that he got his paper and ink from Japan but discovered that American tulip poplar wood was excellent for carving. I do not know what the difference is between tulip poplar and regular old poplar. Something to think about. Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: jimandkatemundie@juno.com (James G Mundie) Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:26:22 -0400 Subject: [Baren 992] Has Jim been taken for a ride? and other matters Baren skeptics and well-wishers, Sheryl wrote: >I'm no expert on this, but I was under the impression that wood >engraving also was a relief technique rather than an intaglio technique... >Since the ink is going to be taken up by the wood it >seems to me it would be very difficult/impossible to wipe a wood block >like one would an intaglio plate. Difficult, yes, but impossible? No. Believe it or not, some people do actually make intaglio wood engravings. I have seen them, albeit only rarely. Why one would want to undertake such a method on a thick slab of boxwood when they could print much more easily from a metal plate I don't know... but as we have seen from Graham's post about the theoretical approach to my print, folks will find a more difficult way to get the job done. :-) *** Gayle wrote: >I tried to buy [an Osorio woodcut] (the same one, unfortunately). >I got a message from the "Osorio" people saying someone >bought that print a few hours before my request. I guess >that was James. Just one step ahead of you, Gayle. *** the ever-vigilant Graham wrote (about the Mexican prints): >My first reaction when I went to the site is .... >only 100 produced in 1954. >only one left in the series. >only $25.00. >Something does not jive here. The prints were published in an edition of one hundred and sold as a folio (presumably one hundred folios). This particular vendor only had _one_ of these folios, hence one print of each image. I admit that $25 is cheap is all get out-- and I'm as suspicious as the next guy-- but I do have the option of returning the print for a full refund if it is substandard. One can't get a real feel for the print over the internet. I have purchased the print, but the sale is not final until it is in my hands and I have appraised its merit. I have lost nothing if it's a piece of crap, but I have gained a wonderful print if it's not. I can barely get a bag of groceries for $25! Sla/n go tamall, James Mundie, Philadelphia USA ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 10:44:58 -0700 Subject: [Baren 993] Re: Has Jim been taken for a ride? and other matters James wrote >Difficult, yes, but impossible? No. Believe it or not, some people do >actually make intaglio wood engravings. I have seen them, albeit only >rarely. I have seen numerous intaglio plates that were carved by Walter J. Phillips. He is the very famous Canadian woodblock printmakers. 1884 - 1963. The blocks were saturated with ink and very hard to determine the wood, however I believe it was Cherry wood. I had the opportunity to examine the achieve files of the work collected by the Art Gallery of Victoria. I spend 4 hrs and only got through a couple of dozen prints. It was a most wonderful experience. I have an open invitation of return to look at more material. You can see his work at http://www.sharecom.ca/phillips/ It is well worth a visit. On the subject "Doubt" >I admit that $25 is cheap is all get out-- and I'm as suspicious >as the next guy-- but I do have the option of returning the print for a >full refund if it is substandard. Oh Good Graham Will have a close look and maybe....... ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 12:39:31 -0700 Subject: [Baren 994] Re: book review follow-up Ray Esposito wrote: >I do not know what the difference is between tulip poplar and > regular old poplar. Tulip Poplar is one of the names that American Poplar, Liriodendron tulipifera, goes by. It is of the Magnolia family. It is also known as yellow poplar, tulip wood and whitewood, among others. It is not the same as European Poplar, of the Salicaceae family that includes willows and true poplars. The local hardwood retailer here lists 1" thick poplar at $2.20 a board ft., as opposed to basswood at $3.00 and cherry at somewhere around $5.00. Someone try some! Also Ray, sure, I would be interested in passing on information I have on handling and repair of prints if Dave is interested, but there is plenty of information on at least the care and handling of prints readily available in several of the books on print making and print collecting. Jack Reisland Reislan Conservation and Restoration ------------------------------ From: Sheryl Coppenger Date: Wed, 24 Jun 1998 18:18:09 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Baren 995] Re: Has Jim been taken for a ride? and other matters Graham wrote: > I have seen numerous intaglio plates that were carved by Walter J. Phillips. > ... > You can see his work at http://www.sharecom.ca/phillips/ I took a look at the site. Some good stuff there. Unfortunately, though, the book which is online only seems to discuss relief printing of woodblocks. The introductory essay in which he is supposed to discuss woodcarving vs. wood engraving seems to be a broken link. Sheryl Coppenger ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 08:27:11 +0900 Subject: [Baren 996] Various recent posts ... Re: 'Too cheap' Mexican prints There is a very good explanation for why those prints are only $25. I think that what we are looking at here is a 'broken' folio or book. This is very common in my field, where unscrupulous dealers chop up old illustrated books and sell the 'pretty pictures' one by one, tossing the rest in the trash. This has frequently happened to copies of the poetry book by Shunsho that I am reproducing. It is a somewhat rare book, by a 'big-name' artist, and has 100 illustrations. The book itself currently trades at anywhere from 350,000 to 500,000 yen. That's a _lot_ of money, and only crazy specialists like myself will buy such an object. So dealers just get out the scissors, and chop it up into 100 individual small prints, which they then easily sell for a couple of hundred bucks each, making a real 'killing' ... in more ways than one ... I think those Mexican prints are from a broken up folio ... *** Re: Book Reviews A page of 'capsule' book reviews was one of the first pages ever put into the Encyclopedia, and since then it has grown slowly. Last week it took a large step with the addition of Ray's more in-depth review of the Helen Merritt book. http://www.woodblock.com.encyclopedia/updates.html There are a _lot_ of books about woodblock prints out there in the world, and if you know of interesting and useful ones, please let the rest of us know about them. Send them to me directly, or post them here on [Baren] ... The 'goal' of your review should be to give the readers enough info to allow them to make a decision whether or not to order this book ... sight unseen. *** Re: Care of Prints, etc. Jack wrote: >I would be interested in passing on information I have on handling and repair of > prints if Dave is interested ... 'If'? Jack, I would love to have an interesting and comprehensive section on this for the Encyclopedia. I had hesitated to ask after seeing your byline "Reisland Conservation and Restoration". If that's what you do for a living, maybe you won't want to 'give away' the advice ... As to your point > there is plenty of information on at least the care and handling of prints > readily available ... That may be so, but I don't intend the Encyclopedia to be only a repository of hard-to-find information. We need the basics too ... and this is a basic. *** Re: Intaglio, engravings, etc. Graham wrote about James' dog print: >The print you sent is more a wood engraving print ....Is it not? > >Those fine lines on the dog are positive shapes and to my eye must have >been acheived by scratching the block and then when printing using the same >technique as required to print an etching.....Right? You know where you ink >and then remove the ink, leaving the ink in the recessed marks.....Right? Graham, James has 'fooled' us here. At first glance, that print does indeed look like it was made with the intaglio process you describe, but this is actually not the case. I've put that thing under a microscope, and I can tell you that all the 'black parts' of that print were printed in 'relief', by areas of untouched wood left standing up. What is 'white' in that print, are areas of wood that were removed by his razors and needles. There is a close-up at: http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/015_01/images/dog_1.jpg As to why he would do it this way, involving an insane amount of work picking out all those tiny bits of unneeded wood, when he could simply have drawn on a plate and then etched the lines for printing ... you will have to ask his psychiatrist. Me? What would _I_ know about 'picking out all those tiny bits of unneeded wood'? Crazy idiot ... *** Graham wrote about Phillips: > I had the opportunity to examine the archive files of the work > collected by the Art Gallery of Victoria. Graham, what do they have there? Do they have all his blocks? I've very much wondered what happened to all those ... *** Printing on the most recent poet was finished last night ... 95 down ... 5 to go! Dave ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 08:36:58 +0900 Subject: [Baren 997] Re: Phillips essay ... Sheryl wrote (about Walter Phillips): > The introductory essay in which he is supposed to discuss woodcarving > vs. wood engraving seems to be a broken link. It's at http://www.sharecom.ca/phillips/essay2.html I just checked it, and it seems OK now ... Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V3 #193 ***************************