[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Tuesday, 12 October 1999 Volume 09 : Number 738 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Roger A. Ball" Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 11:58:18 -0600 Subject: [Baren 6191] Manhattan Graphics Center Show Hello all: Trying to folow this thread (no, I haven't ever really been _gone_). Is it the first Baren exchange that is hanging in Manhattan? Or something different? If so, who gave up their exchange temporarily (I assume) for the display? Is there a brochure or something from the opening that lists the artists that we could get a copy of? Just interested. News from my neck of the woods (hah hah): sold a few prints on eBay, working on designs for a new cut, finishing up some old ones. Great to hear so much going on. Still lurking a bit, but following along. Considering making a press. Looking for a roller pair. Managed to make my way over to April's site recently and really enjoyed seeing some her new ones. Everyone seems to go faster than me! Starting to get back to it more now that it's getting colder here in silly Utah. Cheers, - -Roger ------------------------------ From: Vollmer/Yamaguchi Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 14:36:50 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Baren 6192] MGC Opening Report Pretty funny that Matt is ready to buy some of Graham's Yamaguchi, now that Dave belittled his Rives lightweight! I've used it too and found it lacking! I'd also like to buy more of Graham's paper! Sounds like a fabulous meeting at Matt's that Lynita described. I would give a lot to see Dave print! But this weekend I had to settle for a nice opening at Manhattan Graphics Center. Ray Hudson saw the show last week. We were fortunate to have two Bareners from out of town at the opening, James Mundie, (who organized the first Baren portfolio) came in from Philedelphia, and Ray Esposito drove all the way from Maryland. Gayle Wolken was sorely missed. Judy Mensch served wine, seltzer and Japanese crackers....I'm sure they have seaweed in them! Many thanks to her for organizing. Sarah Hauser made labels for each piece, and Dave's introduction was posted at the entry, along with his print, star of the show. The embossing showed well in the gallery light from above, though I know he'd prefer natural window light. We did not have a sign in book, but I took some photos. Many printmakers from Manhattan Graphics came, along with artists interested in woodcut printing. Takuji Hamanaka, a hanga master printer, came by to see the show. The entire staff of Purgatory Pie Press came (all 2, plus 3 kids). We had lots of inquiries about classes, and about woodblock.com's website. Hope we'll get some more people on line. At 8:00 ten of us adjourned to my apartment, about a mile from the Manhattan Graphics Center. I showed some prints, tools and blocks. James and Ray were interested to see my "real" baren, one I ordered from Japan. We enjoyed a late pizza dinner, and finished off some wine and seltzer from the opening. A very nice evening! Thank you, Baren! The show is up through October 29, if anyone else finds themselves in New York. April Vollmer ------------------------------ From: "Bea Gold" Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 11:52:41 -0700 Subject: [Baren 6193] Hi Jean, Having seen Matt at work at the Sunapee Arts and Crafts Fair, I would say he is making a living from his woodblock prints and related activities. I saw mats and frames in three sizes that make selling easier, reproduced prints on post cards and note cards for sale on an easy to see display rack, he teaches, does shows and has a gallery where he sell other peoples work as well and I don't know what else. Right Matt? Lynita, I'm sorry not to have met you at the fair and enjoy your comments about your visit with Matt and Dave. Gayle, I'm about to send you Michael Schnieder's book and have been thinking about you. So sorry about your mother. Your book for your mother-in-law was wonderful. Michael, I enjoyed your book. I was able to get the video to work and loved the music while you worked. Nice. Judy, Sorry you weren't feeling well during the NYC show. Thank you for putting it together. Wish I could have been there. April, I just finished printing my Exchange #4 print and thought of your words often. "Slow and easy" Enjoyed every minute. We had Santa Ana winds and it was so hot and dry when I was printing I had to quit until it got cooler. I did an edition of 50 prints, 7 colors and realized that that made 350 times I could screw up! Amazing! Bea ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Mon, 11 Oct 1999 14:30:40 -0700 Subject: [Baren 6196] Re: Manhattan Graphics Center Show Roger wrote.... >sold a few prints on eBay I was wondering about putting something up there. Actually they are 3 watercolours I did in the 80's that were returned to me by the owner. Their taste has changed and want to sell them. Hummmmm. Can't figure out how I got them on my doorstep...... Suggested several ideas, but to no avail...... they insisted I should try and sell them. Did you get your price on eBay? Can you give me a precentage figure what you got over or under the hoped for price. Graham ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 00:02:26 -0500 Subject: [Baren 6200] re: YES! Big WIN tonight!!!!!! So this printmaking thing we do is a dying art, considered one of the lesser arts....not taken seriously... A&E 's Biography of the MIllennium presented tonight their television final countdown for the most influential hundred people in the last thousand years. NO, it was not a famous scientist like Einstein, Galileo, Edison or even Mr. Newton's apple ( a close #2).....or a famous statesman like Gandhi, Lincoln, Luther or Marx....no, not Bill Gates at #41.......it was.... We are number one! He is one of us! He worked with messy ink and paper...........just like of us he made multiples for the enjoyment of the many......according to the panel of experts assembled by A&E the most influential person of the Millennium was a PRINTMAKER.... JOHANN GUTENBERG (1400 - 1468) For the discovery of movable type and the printing press for mass printing and the influence (books) had on the world. Thanks.....Julio ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 00:59:43 -0500 Subject: [Baren 6201] re: In the beginning..... It seems like a long time ago...and yet it feels like yesterday......my very first posting to Baren. I had been lurking in the background for weeks reading just a month worth of archives and monitoring the little points & counterpoints made by bareners when finally Dave's NEW idea about an online printmaking encyclopedia drew me from the background on February 1st, 1998. It's been fun and educational. But in the beginning there was Dave....and Graham & Matt a trio of seasoned professionals to show us the way for those of us new to printmaking in the hanga style. The "newbies".....John Amoss, Phil Bivins & Ray Esposito added a perfect balance to the whole equation that made Baren such an attractive forum for me. Of course Gary was there too....arguing his point for computer images with Graham.....ahhhh...some things never change. Did I forget anyone ? Going back to late 97 & early 98 you can follow Graham & Dave commenting on shark skins and softening brush hairs....Gary's pros on computer design and Graham battles against mechanical reproductions.....and us newbies asking the sillliest of questions.....did we not just cover these same topics last month ? That's what makes Baren so special....the personalities behind the names...there's a certain family feeling to this group. It is pretty exciting to see Baren members getting together and meeting each other all over the world.... Watching A&E''s Biography tonight one point came across again and again when defining the most influential people of the Millennium; that is the fact that they not only changed the lives of many, but also that they were people of vision and imagination. I think we got a pretty good start here.......way to go Dave Bull and fellow bareners! Enough said, I've had a rough day today and wanted to ended in a good way, I hope you forgive my rambling, Thanks Baren. Julio ------------------------------ From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown) Date: 12 Oct 99 07:16:22 EDT Subject: [Baren 6202] Making a living Gary, Printmaking is my source of income, I gave up taking on any carpentry jobs about three years ago. Took Dave and Sadako to the bus yesterday, I am sure they had a great ride, it was a beautiful afternoon for looking at the leaf colors as they rode through Vermont. We had a wonderful visit together, and a think everyone learned a great deal, I know I did! Matt ------------------------------ From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown) Date: 12 Oct 99 07:23:18 EDT Subject: [Baren 6203] Re: MGC Opening Report - --- You wrote: Pretty funny that Matt is ready to buy some of Graham's Yamaguchi, now that Dave belittled his Rives lightweight! I've used it too and found it lacking! I'd also like to buy more of Graham's paper! - --- end of quote --- Actually I have printed on a great deal of Yamaguchi-san's paper, and realities of the marketplace caused me to give it up in favor of the Rives. But Dave mentionned that what Graham has is a bit heavier in weight, and lighter in color, so I am considering giving it another try. Bill Paden is emphatic that I get off the Rives. The facts remain that people who buy my prints opt for ones printed on the Rives if place side by side with ones on real washi. It just remains there are a lot of different ways to do things in this world! Matt ------------------------------ From: amoss@mindspring.com (John Amoss) Date: Tue, 12 Oct 1999 08:25:30 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Baren 6204] re:In the beginning Julio wrote of the Baren history: >I think we got a pretty good start here.......way to go >Dave Bull and fellow bareners! >Enough said, I've had a rough day today and wanted to ended in a good way, I >hope you forgive my rambling, Thanks Baren. I think that it's great to have someone remind us to sit back and see where we've come from. The dawn of the 21st century is doing that for most of us and I think that it's a rare thing these days for people to stop and ponder our directions. I agree with Julio that history (however small or large it may be) is being made here by all of us. Baren is a strange and delightful combination of the new and the old- of the known and the unknown. Sharing that "back and forth" is what keeps the group and the art alive. - -John A. ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V9 #738 ***************************