Baren Digest              Friday, 16 February 2001      Volume 14 : Number 1320


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From: GraphChem@aol.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 09:32:22 EST
Subject: [Baren 13401] Re: Toxic Watercolors 

       The simple fact of toxicity is - check the label! There are very few 
pigments that are toxic, but if the ink/paint  or whatever carries an ACMI 
seal that means that the formula has been check for both chronic (long term) 
and acute (immediate) toxicity. I know of no situation where a pigment can be 
used for oil and not water - except for the fact that many pigments are not 
suitable for use in both. That is to say that they don't work in water 
systems, while others don't work in oil. I would respectfully suggest that 
there is more to the story.
        Graphic Chemical was one of six companies that were instrumental in 
structuring ACMI (the others being Winsor-Newton, Binney & Smith, Martin/F. 
Weber, Hunt Mfg, and Grumbacher). The manufacturers of art materials in 
general have been very proactive in making people aware of health hazards, 
working with legislators, toxicologists, ASTM and many others to insure that 
hazardous materials were properly labeled (and where possible eliminated).

Dean Clark


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From: GraphChem@aol.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 09:40:52 EST
Subject: [Baren 13402] Re: Toxic Watercolors 

Barbara -
The assumption that pigments would react the same way from ceramics to inks 
is incorrect, but it points out the problems encountered on the manufacturing 
end. For example, take the cadmiums. Glazes use cadmium oxides and inks use 
cadmium sulfides. Under many circumstances they react somewhat the same. The 
problem is that cadmium sulfides can be carcinogenic when exposed to high 
levels of heat - something of a problem in some glazes. Cadmium oxides on the 
other hand present almost no problems.

The fact that some pigments have the same color name does not mean that they 
are the same chemical. All manufacturers of art materials are subject to ASTM 
standards, which include formula review by a toxicologist.

I'll get off of the soap box now.

Dean Clark


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From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 09:51:48 EST
Subject: [Baren 13403] Re: thanks, etc 

Congrats to you, Sarah, and April for the Japan Society workshop coming up.

Maye you can get to see their video of Minakata at work. He is hacking away, 
yes hacking!  "It's not the way that you do it ", but the way it comes out.

I admired your Dachshund when I viewed it a while ago.  Way to go!

Take care.

Carol

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From: Daniel Dew <ddew@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 10:11:47 -0500
Subject: [Baren 13404] FW: exchange 9 "salon de refuse`" 

Alrighty then folks, we now have about 10 people who want to do a mini
exchange along the theme of "Endangered Species".  I want to get the ball
rolling, so I would like to close this on Monday.  Anyone interested at all,
mail me off list by the end of Sunday (EST).  SIze is open, no larger than
11" x 15", lino or wood, oil or water, yada, yada.

dan dew



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From: B E Mason <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 07:06:33 -0800
Subject: [Baren 13405] winter and stuff 

Dave,
That was so beautiful. We almost never get snow here in the moderate 
Northwest. They promise and then it just misses us and goes farther 
east. I did a demo last Saturday and it was snowing like crazy, but it 
was 40 degrees so it melted as soon as it hit the ground. I only got 5 
people to show up, everyone here is so afraid to drive in snow. It 
worked out well, as I was able to let then all make a print. Couldn't 
have done that with 25 people and only 2 hours. It was a relief print, 
drawn with a ball point pen on Scratch foam (styrofoam) and printed with 
a rainbow roll with speedball watersoluble ink on dry paper. They turn 
out quite beautiful with the lines white.  Such a simple process and so 
fast. I think I hooked all five of them into printmaking, so my day was 
a great success. I always tell everyone about the baren but do not know 
if they actually come on down and visit us.

I have a philosophical question of sorts. What do you people do when 
asked to donate work?  I think I give away at least 10 pieces a year and 
just yesterday got a call from a local private highschool for a piece 
for their auction. Last year I asked them to send me a catalog and when 
I saw how they listed the artwork, all jumbled in with everything else I 
decided to get a stiffer backbone this year and I actually told them no 
and to take my name off their list. Today I feel guilty but glad I did 
it. It does get our name out there, but is this cost a little high? And 
what about the $300 piece that can sell for less than the cost of the 
frame for charity? I am starting to think it would be better to write a 
check to them and keep my work.

Comments on this? How do you handle this over time?? Just tell everyone 
to take a hike?
Barbara


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From: "Bea Gold" <bnj50@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 07:46:25 -0800
Subject: [Baren 13406] Re: Copyrights and aromatic cleaners charset="iso-8859-1" 

I love your tattoo story Michelle.  Does the guy live in San Diego?  I
wonder if I would recognize your work if I saw him on the beach?  Bea



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From: Wanda <robertson@canby.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 10:13:38 -0700
Subject: [Baren 13407] Re: Copyrights and aromatic cleaners 

Michelle wrote:

> >the arm or chest--it seemed rather large).  Anyway, turns out he'd bought a
> >wood engraving of mine a year or so earlier and had gone down to San Diego
> >and had a tattoo artist engrave him with it.  It was a nice job all in all,

Very interesting, Michelle! I think you handled it very sensibly. I'm afraid I
would have burst out laughing. We want to see pictures!

I am glad to have the toxic cleaners information - but I am of the opinion
(perhaps goofy) that almost everything is toxic in large enough amounts. At least
there is no lead in our paints, oils & inks any more. My favorite white when I
painted with oils many years ago, was Lead White. And then we can get into house
paints, household cleaners (I also hate that simple green stuff & I suspect it is
*not* simple) furniture refinishing stuff, car stuff: brake fluid, anti-freeze,
etc. It's a big bad world out there, so don't drink the stuff!  I guess I have a
fatal view of life - we *are* going to die someday, we all hope it won't be too
soon, but live and enjoy it while we are here! Like a friend of mine likes to
say: "Life, sexually transmitted and always fatal"

Today is a good day - enjoy!

Wanda

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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 12:34:12 -0600
Subject: [Baren 13408] Re: FW: exchange 9 "salon de refuse`" 02/15/2001 12:34:00 PM 

Dan and other refusees (?), that are not in the current list for exchange
#9. Although I am in for #9, I would also like to
participate in the mini-exchange you guys are planning.  Put my name down.
My intensions are to display all the "endangered species" prints I receive
by mid May at the Skokie exhibit (May & June).

Sounds like the size you have selected is different from the official #9,
but I will still accomodate for display purposes.

Julio


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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 13:41:07 -0600
Subject: [Baren 13409] Re: ANDI 02/15/2001 01:40:55 PM 

Hi Sarah, congratulations on your upcoming events with April and all the
shows. ANDI arrived safe and sound. What a cutie and such a human like
expression. Looking forward to your Chicago show at WomanMade gallery. Are
you there for their
Cats & Dogs show that starts June 22 or are you having your very own solo
exhibit ?

Anyhow, would like to meet and if you get into town before the 22nd, the
Skokie Exhibit should still be up.

Hello to Gail,  Sue and all the new people onboard...Julio


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From: "eli griggs" <eli.griggs@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2001 16:02:44 -0500
Subject: [Baren 13410] lead pigments etc charset="iso-8859-1" 

Hi there:

Lead White is still around and doing quite nicely, thank you very much.  It
was banned for a while, but it is such an important pigment to artists that
it was given a reprieve by 'big brother'.

Lead has special qualities as an oil painting white that Titanium and Zinc
do not come close to matching.  It is a dream on the brush and canvas and
mixes perfectly.  The other whites can not match its' warmth and I doubt
there is anything out there in the labs that would fit the bill so far as
performance and aesthetes are concerned.

A lot of the alarm over lead was, rightly so, raised by the use of lead in
non-artist commercial products, house paints, paints on toys and cribs and
its' use in some ceramic glazes.  The spectre of thousands of poisoned
children who mouthed lead painted matter and ate pealing chips of paint
caused its' outright ban and, in an over-reaction, its' temporary absence
from the artist pallet.  An knee jerk that was finally put right.

What does this have to do with woodcut printmaking?

Well, I think that a lot of artist have gotten hold of the wrong end of the
stick when it comes to using 'toxic materials'.  Yes, Lead and other heavy
metal pigments can do a great deal of harm, IF handled improperly!  Handled
by a knowing, well informed and responsible artist community, Lead and other
heavy metal pigments are reasonably safe.

Artist need to know, before they buy their materials, just what it is that
they are buying, how to handle it and what is needed to clean up any
residues.  That means that they need to press makers of artist materials to
label properly, and boycott if they refuse.

Secret ingredients have ruined many a good piece of art and are a potential
danger to the artist's health.  Think of those artist that point up
watercolour brushes with their mouths, unawares of poisons they are
digesting.

A few years ago I received a sample of French watercolour white that was in
fact Lead.  This is an example of a good pigment made into the wrong medium
and knowing its' potential danger, I disposed of it.

And what of printers using dry pigments for Hanga, do you know what is
really in that pretty mix you are grinding?

Whenever I buy a colour I want to know what pigment I am getting, with its'
pigment number and chemical name clearly marked, NOT some pie-in-the-sky
marketing name.  If I buy Yellow Ochre, I want Yellow Ochre, not Mars
Yellow, which is what a lot of people are selling under the name Yellow
Ochre.  And when I buy a red Cadmium pigment I want to know which Cadmium I
am getting and what fillers have been added, so I can decide if I am getting
what I paid for as well as how to handle it.  If something contains
something else like Toluol (for example) then I'm going to want to know that
too!

The point I'm trying to make is, as artist, our craft (in whatever medium)
demands that we manipulate sometimes dangerous materials.  That is the
nature of art.  Therefore it is incumbent on US to know what we are doing
and to separate fact from PC hysteria when it comes to using turpentine,
lead, and any other matter we have imperfect knowledge of.  Only then can we
safely use proper materials for the art we create.

Eli Griggs
Charlotte N.C.
USA

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From: Daniel Dew <ddew@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 16:30:23 -0500
Subject: [Baren 13411] Salon De Refuse 

The list is growing!
Anyone in the "official" exchange can print up around 10 or 15 more and get
even more back by joining our little group.
Let me know off-line.  So far, max size is 11" x 15", smaller is O.K., just
no bigger.  No cases.  Due date June 1st.

dan dew


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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 15:44:33 -0600
Subject: [Baren 13412] Re: Salon De Refuse 02/15/2001 03:44:22 PM 

"..Due date June 1st..."

Dan, are you coordinating the mini exchange ?, meaning...is everyone
sending you
the prints for collating ?

I need to have them earlier by May 15th in order to exhibit them in Skokie.
The official #9 exchange is due May 1st. With two weeks for the usual late
arrivals....mid-May seems about right to have most of the prints in hand.

Please advise as June 1st is just too late for me.

Julio
ps. Can you send me a list of the mini-participants ?



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From: slinder@mediaone.net
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 16:01:40 -0600
Subject: [Baren 13414] Shipping cartons for art work 

Propack is offering a 20% discount to Baren members interested 
in purchasing their art shipping cartons.  
<http://www.propakinc.com/art_cartons.html> 
For sizes and prices go to the page from the bottom of their 
web page. Measurements are the inside dimensions of the cartons.
  
To receive the discount, please mention [Baren] when ordering.

Sharen

Cucamongie@aol.com wrote:

> Oh yeah, I just received word that one of my BIG (25" x 34") doggy prints (a dachshund wearing a checkered sweater on a Byzantine pattern background) was accepted into the Art Show at the Dog show (hence my recent post about sending big things, thanks to everyone for that, I ended up buying an art carton from Propack, Sharen sent me this website, I received it today and it looks quite sturdy).
> best wishes all,
> Sarah

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From: Claude Villeneuve <klaud@sympatico.ca>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 17:21:11 -0500
Subject: [Baren 13415] Re: winter and stuff 

Barbara:
Re: Giving prints for charitable causes.I have become very SELECTIVE
over the years. I don't give anything for auctions unless I can set the
departure price and get a percentage on the sales. There are a few
places I still send prints to because I know and trust the organizers
and know that they have RESPECT for the artists they sollicit. In other
cases - I just say NO. The problem with artists is that we are the ones
who make less money, our supplies cost a lot and people don't understand
or respect what we do and want everything for free. So it's about time
we start respecting ourselves by learning to say NO - even if we feel
guilty for a while.

On snow:
Come to Montreal (or go to St.John Newfoundland) you'll get lots and
lots of snow! :-)
Claude Aimˇe

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From: b.patera@att.net
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 23:16:07 +0000
Subject: [Baren 13417] Re: Toxic Watercolors 

Dean,

Thanks for the information. It is good to know that the 
pigments used in inks are less/ or non-toxic. Though I 
always try for those inks and paints labeled as safe I 
still try to err on the side of caution.

Barbara P.

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From: barebonesart <barebonesart@home.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 15:26:07 -0800
Subject: [Baren 13418] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1319 

Michelle,

I beg to differ with you on the clean up with vegetable oil. It does cut it
and very nicely. I can clean a large roller just as fast with veg. oil as I
can with petroleum products, and feel a whole lot better. Breathing the
vapors of mineral spirits etc., makes many of us nauseous & gives headaches,
no matter how well the scene is ventilated. Its all in what you get used to
- - at first it took me longer to clean up, but not any more. Make the
transition, you'll be glad you did. And, you'll save money in the long run.

And, now to resurrect a recent discussion which has already been discussed
to death, I just read this in the latest Smithsonian in an article about
William Merritt Chase. He is quoted as saying the following to his students:
"Be like a sponge, ready to absorb all you can....I have been a thief: I
have stolen all my life - I have never been so foolhardy as to refrain from
stealing for fear I should be considered as not 'original.'"  Words to take
to heart.

As for the safety of waterbased products - we should use all materials
carefully and sensibly. Don't lick your brushes, don't eat your ink.
Seriously, everything should be used with caution and wear gloves. I think
people are missing the point here. The point is not that the inks are any
safer than their oil based counterparts. The point is that the clean-up is
so much easier and nothing more than soap and water are needed. Its the
clean up that's the issue :>)

Did that sound like a lecture? Sorry, I slip back into teacher mode very
easily -

Sharri




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From: "Garth Hammond" <Garthart@earthlink.net>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 19:56:20 -0700
Subject: [Baren 13419] Re: winter and stuff charset="iso-8859-1" 

RE:What do you people do when
asked to donate work?

How odd that you should ask.....This is something that has been bugging me
for a long time.  I am "giving" a print framed this year to the channel 6
auction.  Good cause and I feel Ok about it and yet somehow it feels not
like a fair exchange.  Expectations again?, that demon of the human species?
I feel used and don't know why.  It is odd we get a table for the show and
they chat us up etc.  I guess it is like the chatty cathy or carl who drop
by the studio and eat up time and energy.
I am not sure I said anything and it may be off topic but this issue makes
jangles in my spine. by the way thanks to Dean for the information.
Garth


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From: "Charles and Gail Sheffield" <gsheffield@i-55.com>
Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2001 21:46:08 -0800
Subject: [Baren 13420] Donations charset="iso-8859-1" 

Re: Donations.  Claude V., in his earlier post, had it correctly.  BE
SELECTIVE.  Give only when it is your absolute most personally cherished
cause and/or when you think the exposure is worth it.  It is not selfish to
refuse others, so DON'T FEEL GUILTY, even if it is a good cause.   It is
true that artists' efforts are not appreciated by the public, so they freely
ask.  One must bite one's tongue not to counter with "Sure, I'll donate this
piece of art if you will donate your paycheck!"  Unfortunately, they would
not understand.  For those who ask for money or art, I just say that my
giving has already been budgeted and I can't give to everybody even though I
would like to.

Gail Sheffield
Covington, LA


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End of Baren Digest v14 #1320
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