[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest              Thursday, 25 March 1999      Volume 06 : Number 502

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@pantek.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 08:21:57 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3712] Re: Baren Digest V6 #501 

Dave wrote regarding the passing of Mr. Ito and Mr. Ogura Hanbei
> For me now (on the carving side of things anyway) there is nobody left
> who I feel able to visit when I need advice or have questions to ask ...

Dave, when we lose our gurus, I guess the next step is to become 
our own guru.  I'm sorry the world has lost these people, and it makes
one realize just how irreplaceable individuals are!  

* * * *
I followed Jeanne's advice yesterday and spent all afternoon putting
the encyclopedia lessons in a looseleaf, 3-ring binder, with labeled
dividers.  I had all these lessons in folders I could never find in my
studio of stuff and more stuff; now everything's together and I'm 
enjoying poring over the lessons at the kitchen table.

Gayle

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From: Shireen Holman <tholman@clark.net>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 09:48:16 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3713] Re: just subscribed 

Michael wrote:
>Hello to all baren members!

I just looked at your web site, and am very impressed with your work. I
would be very interested to know how you print your blocks - for example,
how many blocks you use for each print; how many colours? The subtleties,
and gradations are beautiful.
Shireen

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From: Sherpsm@aol.com
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 13:39:20 EST
Subject: [Baren 3714] Re: various ... 

Dave
The Traditional Woodblock world has suffered a great loss with the passing of
Mr. Ogura Hanbei. Please express my sincere condolences to his family and friends.
When I first became interested in Japanese Prints, the first book I read on
them was Basil Stewart's A Guide to Japanese Prints and their Subject Matter.
In it he declared that the best craftsmen and artists were gone and that there
was nothing worth while after Hiroshige. We know he was wrong. 
Traditions are kept alive by people who value and love them. Dave you are
doing a great service to those who have gone before you. Keep up the great
work. And thanks for spreading your knowledge. 

Joe

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From: Michael Schneider <mikasch@t0.or.at>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 22:08:34 +0100
Subject: [Baren 3715] Re: just subscribed 

Shireen wrote:
> I just looked at your web site, and am very impressed with your work. 

Thanks for the time you spent visiting my page.

All the prints that are shown in my page are done from one block. I did
prints from up to 6 blocks, but found it more interesting to find out what is
possible to print out of one. I only use sumi to print. But three brushes,
all loaded with different shades of gray/black. By printing I frequenlty
re-ink the block.
For the printing, I use a Ball-Baren, a hard Brush and a tampon as I also
make a frottage on the back of the paper on some areas of the print to add
another shading.
To make this possible while not destroying the paper in the process, I use a
thin "heptaphan" foil to protect the washi. ( I do not konw whether this is
an international industry standard or just the name used around here.)
I also print with, by traditional japanese standards enonormus amounts of
water and almost no paste.
It took me 4 years of experiments and constant failures but now I belive to
have found the best way to print my blocks.
Until now I only did editions of three, but today I finished an edition of 50.
It is not that I like to do such high editions, but a gallery offered my to
buy all of the 50 papers on the spot......... so how could I refuse?  And
after all this opportunity to earn money proofed that my method of printing
is useful not only for a "mini" edition.

I also visited your site, and I am truely fond of your books, from the
description and the pictures I think I can imagine the haptic quality and the
sensitivity they carry.
Could you tell me something more about your books?

michael

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 13:58:08 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3716] Re: just subscribed 

Michael
Thanks for your posts....this one and the one.... CRISIS IN THE KOSOVO
It is trying times and we in the Americas' no nothing of what life is like
under those circimstances.

>Until now I only did editions of three, but today I finished an edition of 50.
>It is not that I like to do such high editions, but a gallery offered my to
>buy all of the 50 papers on the spot.........

Ummmmm....
whats the name of your Gallery....
and where is the spot that I should stand on....(<;


>so how could I refuse?

Certainly you should, after all where does it say that an artist shouldn't
make money

Regards,

Graham

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 14:06:54 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3717] Removing spot of colour. 

Maybe someone can advise if there is a method of removing a spot or spots
of colour that have found their way on the white border of a print.  Every
once and a while I miss seeing a touch of colour that polutes the border
......I know, I know, poor housecleaning.

At any rate, when doing the last print which is fairly large paper size
55cm x 70 cm , I screwed up.  There is a lot of Scotch in me...(my mother
is a descendant of Robert the Brewes - king of Scots) and I hate to throw
away those prints.

Thanks,

Graham

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From: Michael Schneider <mikasch@t0.or.at>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 23:25:00 +0100
Subject: [Baren 3718] Re: just subscribed 

> Graham
  Oh, the gallerys name is "die kleine Galerie", and you can visit them at
http://www.vhs.at/kleine.galerie

  they are specialised on printmaking and not in transalting, so their " info in
english" is not finished yet.

Btw: I have got principels and one of it says If you can make money by doing what
you like to do, make it!

michael

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From: Daniel Kelly
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 18:07:14 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Baren 3719] Re: Removing spot of colour. 

Don't throw them away you Scotchman! I don't know what paper you 
used, but if its a western paper I find that the problems can be 
"curated" best using dry methods. An old matt cutter blade is 
excellent. I don't think you will be satisfied with trying a wet 
cleaning approach. If the paper gets a bit abraded as from an eraser 
use something to burnish back the fibers. Japanese papers are more of 
a problem in that they are not so forgiving.

Personally I hate to use the papers made here for all the problems 
they present... like this or the the creases they always get 
eventually. This is to say that if you have a problem with the final 
appearance of the paper a western paper will help

But mostly Graham I wonder why you would worry. The area you suggest 
will be under the matt anyway and it says "hand made". At least you 
could sign it as a trial proof.

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From: amoss@mindspring.com (John Amoss)
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 18:41:05 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Baren 3720] removing spots 

Graham-
I remembered something I read in the Baren Library from Hiroshi Yoshida's
Book- "Japanese Printmaking"-

See:
http://www.woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/011_07/chap_4b.html

scroll about 3/4 of the way down under the "Blots (Ketsu-Ochi)" heading.

Papa Yoshida sez:
>If the soil shows on the drawing itself, it is advisable to
>swab it away with a wet cloth. If it is on the margin outside
>the picture it may be removed by means of BORACIC acid"

Now, either he meant to say BORIC acid, or you chemists out there will have
to enlighten me. I tried Boric acid at one time and it appeared to do
nothing at the "drugstore concentration".

I hope this leads to something.... A bonny bit o' luck to ye!

- -John

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From: "Daniel Kelly" <daniel@vowel.or.jp>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 08:54:04 +0900
Subject: [Baren 3721] Re: removing spots 

Caution Bareners,
Boraic acid or any acid is not our first choice in removing spots as it will
burn the paper... we don't really want any acid. Remember Toshi was Japanese
and of a generation unaware of the curatorial problems we now know about
papers. The wet approach also may bleed the color into the fibers making it
impossible to remove the color.
D

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From: amoss@mindspring.com (John Amoss)
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 19:00:39 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Baren 3722] T. Yoshida Book 

At the risk of causing a cyber stampede-

There is an excellent hanga how-to book for sale online thru ABE books at a
great price (unless it's been purchased already):

Yoshida, Toshi & Yuki, Rei "Japanese Print Making: A Handbook of
Traditional & Modern Techniques" Tuttle, 1966 @ US $50

Go to:

<http://www.abebooks.com/cgi/abe.exe/routera^_pr=orderInsert^_ph=1^_bi=20001
344^_aw=Yoshida,%20Toshi^bsi=1^bei=1^_ci=0>

I paid twice that...excellent book. Good luck!
- -John

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 16:01:58 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3723] Re: Removing spot of colour. 

Daniel, thanks for the feed back re spot.

I should have indicated in the first post that I use Hosho paper. It is
heavy weight (8 monme).
I have tried the matt cutter trick.  No way.  These spots were actually
drops of colour that were on the table behond the plate.  This piece has
exceptional wide border of white as it is a part of the statement the image
makes. The paper drooped  and touch the pigment.
The print is float mounted showing all 4 deckled edges. So the matting out
the problems is out of the question.

I have burnished an abraded area before, by using a very small amount of
rice paste on a dry tissue and carefully buffing the spot and vicinity to
get the fibres smoothed out.

Trial proof'' might be the best answer.  I have always avoided doing that
and prefer to pitch the print. But a full sheet ....hmmmmm
Any body else got any ideas....

Thanks,

Graham

PS  As soon as I get these new jobs digitized I will post the series of 4.....
Gawd I wish I had a digital camera.

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End of Baren Digest V6 #502
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