Baren Digest Saturday, 17 March 2001 Volume 14 : Number 1359 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Connie Grace" Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:01:57 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13915] White Line Woodcuts In response to the question below the answer is 'no'. It is my way of = working, most of the time, but not THE way of working. I could name = four WLW artists right offhand who cut a minimum of lines to define the = image and just paint loosely around them on the block. Experiment. = You'll discover what you like and what works. Connie ------------------------------ From: Claude Villeneuve Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 10:09:11 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13916] Re: Responses to many - and a new STUFF Graham: I went to look on your website at the table you made for yourself and found it really clever. Since I didn't have the time to make one, I just improvised one on yours and it really helped when carving my plates. I name you backsaver of the day! (I when I have the time I'll make myself a proper one. It's just what I needed. Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips! Claude Aimée ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 08:15:54 -0700 Subject: [Baren 13917] Thank you(s) & things Thank you Graham, for condensing your answers to questions - makes it much easier to read! Now, for the digest readers - you need to turn off your encoding & mime. Kelsey, we are working on getting Yuri's *Siberian* birch on the baren mall. It is quite superior to the Baltic Birch that is available everywhere. The Baltic Birch is apparently glued up with a water-soluble glue which wreaks havoc with hanga style (or any water-based ink method) printing. Separation, bubbling, etc., and after all that carving! Yes, so many toys, so little time (and money!). My computer keyboard has to have a piece of plastic over it to protect it from all the salivating at those beautiful barens and those wonderful pigments! Sarah, I'm trying the methyl cellulose on my next print. I'm one of those who always puts too much of everything on my blocks - it takes me a dozen extra prints to get it doled out halfway correct each time! Just doesn't seem possible that you need so little pigment & paste (or cellulose) to make a nice clean print. Wanda ------------------------------ From: d bartl Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 08:13:04 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 13918] Re: White Line Woodcuts Let me get this right the line is supposed to be equal???? I thought we were artists not engineers. Please tellme that this is just a misperception, thanks. ------------------------------ From: b.patera@att.net Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 18:50:32 +0000 Subject: [Baren 13919] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1356 Kelsey, There used to be adds for die cut shapes in the back of American Artist and Ceramic Monthly magazines. It's been quite a while since I last looked at those magazines but you might check them out. Barbara P. ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 11:28:37 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13920] Re: Responses to many - and a new STUFF Hi Claude, Marnie and I will be in Montreal first part of April visiting our son and family. This is not a promise but if we get time maybe we can get together for a cup of the stuff. I have a lot of visiting to do besides family. Some very old friends from or time living there and I want to visit them. I have only a couple of days so a phone call my be only possible time available. Send us your phone number. Regards Graham ------------------------------ From: Daniel Dew Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 14:47:06 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13921] Mr. Postman Where, Oh, where, are you tonight, why did you leave here all alone, I searched the world over......... and I can't find my prints. What's the status on exchange #8? dan dew ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 08:43:24 +0900 Subject: [Baren 13922] Re: Yamaguchi Paper Lynita wrote: > I did notice that the new order, in addition to > having slightly less dosa on it, is also whiter than the summer order. Previously, > I requested unbleached paper so am guessing this is the difference? (Dave, how > does Yamaguchi-san actually whiten the paper?) I just called him up to find out. As usual, he didn't talk to me directly, but his wife did all the talking. I could hear him in the background explaining to her and she then passed it on to me. (Interestingly enough, I've been dealing with him for twenty years, but have perhaps never heard his voice speaking directly to me ...) They say no bleach no bleach no bleach. He was 'upset' that I would think he used such a thing in the paper. He then started on about how 'those other guys' use all kinds of chemicals, and I think he would probably have run on all day if we had let him. He says that the reason his paper is so white is because he chooses only the best and cleanest kozo and kawa-neri (the glutinous substance I mentioned the other day). He added that the fact that the paper is board dried means that it gets a bit of natural bleaching from the sun too. I'm not quite sure how to accept that statement, because I know that in the building next to the shed in which he makes the paper, there is a hot plate drying mechanism set up, and he also has a series of forced-air closed sheds for drying paper (during those times of extended rain). He did mention something that you may not like - that he always mixes 'formalin' into the tub - winter and summer. He maintains that it disappears during the drying process, and maybe that is so ... I don't know. (It's also interesting to think about their local river. Papermaking villages are famous for being located on clear streams ... What those streams look like when they _leave_ the village is another matter, it seems ...) Anyway, it does seem like the paper hasn't been bleached. Dave ------------------------------ From: Studio Dalwood Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 23:31:12 +1100 Subject: [Baren 13923] Going to Canada Jan said Josephine, No, I couldn't carry you, wheels, maybe, but I would love to have your company there and back. Jan I'd love to travel with you too Jan. Going from Sydney to Sidney could be fun! I certainly couldnt fit under the seat as Maria suggested, but if I brought the hammock we could stretch it across the isle. I have a list of things I think you should take, Tim Tams for example, Milo, and some vegemite so you can show them how to do it right. mmmm wonder if the Tim Tams are the reason you think I'm too heavy to carry *chuckle* I could smuggle some contraband into Gosia's luggage when she comes to Sydney ;-) Graham, who is going to be there and when is it again? And an admin request, could people please not do 'reply' when they get the digest, getting full copies of all the posts and the html stuff is messy in the digests. Can you crop or cut and paste and use plain text please. JR - you got me thinking, I had a look in my reference books and I cant find any examples of reduction relief blocks pre 60's how curious. Any chance of you making it to Sydney for the PA picnic? Josephine ------------------------------ From: B E Mason Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 22:01:31 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13924] question Dave, Graham, and all you talented knowledgable people out there. I have a question about this print, do you think the trees are printed over the other colors or are they just meeting? If they were printed over would it make any difference? Would it be too much pigment in one place? Thanks in advance. Barbara http://www.carolynstaleyprints.com/prints/hasui11.html ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Fri, 16 Mar 2001 23:34:48 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13926] Re: answer charset="iso-8859-1" Okay, I'm going to give this a shot. Let it be known that I'm fluent in Spanish and Catalan, and know some French on the side. Portuguese is not my strength, but if I sound it out, I can almost feel what Murilo is saying. Just for reference, Barbara's question: >>Dave, Graham, and all you talented knowledgable people out there. I have a question about this print, do you think the trees are printed over the other colors or are they just meeting? If they were printed over would it make any difference? Would it be too much pigment in one place? Thanks in advance. Barbara<< http://www.carolynstaleyprints.com/prints/hasui11.html "Hi Barbara, since the question was made in general, I am going to attempt to place an answer also. The question was if the trees were printed over the background, and, it looks that way. I think/feel/perceive two different prints, like those made from two or more matrices, as in woodblock. It seems that there are two different kinds of languages. The scene in the background, seems more like the Japanese print, with the colors paler and diffuse, water based; and the trees superimposed in the foreground seem harder (harsher, darker) and more realistic color. Like in a reduction linocut, those of Picasso (some Spanish guy that lived in France), a self-portrait, used these colors: cream of the paper, yellow, blue, red and black, in this order. It's possible to say that colors that are reduced in this way would meet, since they are printed from the same matrix. When superimposed and two or more blocks are used, the possibility exists of more contrast, which I consider the case to be in this beautiful work that voiced your question. I am not a huge expert and may be wrong, but that's what I think. Murilo Antonio Grisard Pereira, Florianopolis." Translated poorly by yours truly. Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Sat, 17 Mar 2001 00:22:22 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13927] Who's coming, Birch ,Varnish and Greek Josephine wrote >Graham, who is going to be there and when is it again? Showing up here on June 1st ready to start June 2nd 8 am sharp..... SIR. Returnies are Graham A Scholes. Hey the best way to learn this sport is teach it....(<: Marco Flavio Marinucci - San Fran California Kent Kirkpatrick - Washington John Root... from Victoria Newbies are Eileen Hackett - New York Richard Stockham - Birmingham.Alabama Jan Telfer - Delkelith Austrailia Richard Brown - Arbutus Ridge Bill Bird - North Saanich. 8 Participant and Space for one woman..... I have a great idea.... Since Josephine is such a sweety and I understand beyond the starving artist category, that we all send her 5 bucks (any currency) 5.00 x 300 members and she can join Boot Camp... Oh great.... Scholes has gone senile. Will somebody slap him.! - -------------------------- Wanda wrote..... All birches are not the same. I just tested Baltic Birch by placing it in water for 10 hours. It did not separate, bubble or distore in anyway. That was the good news. I checked on local specialty lumber yard and they do not carry Siberian. The baltic birch is preferred by furniture makers... Asking what the difference to Siberian birch they told me very little with Siberian being a little more dence. After spending the last 4 days planning and laying out the order of colours and cutting sequence, I started to carve my large plates 22" x 28" out to the Baltic Birch and half way through the first plate is said ...please excuse this.... Pee on it. ( I have had a real bad day - haven't I Barbara... (sorry in joke.) Junk absolutely junk wood to carve compared to Basewood and Cherry, even Dogwood is better. I took the 8 plates and am going to use them for firewood. Actually in the way it splinters they would make good tooth picks. Son of a Birch, the damn stuff does not cut across the grain without splintering like hell. When you cut with the grain it pushes and pulls the knife in accordance to the way the grain goes and makes exact cuts to lines impossible. So it is back to basswood which I have just joined 14" and 8" widths together to start new sets of plates. What a bummer... lost 6 blasted days and it is all the fault of "the guy from Japan".... they could not supply Noboru Sawai with wood until June. - ----------------------- New..... but Old..... Some time ago there was a posting about protecting plates with Shellac. I have always recommended Velspar Marine Varnish cut 50/50 with thinners. I suggest that shellac not be considered as it dryes very quickly and does not penetrate like thinned Varnish which takes a good 4 hours to firm up so continues to wick deep into the wood. This affords more and deeper protection... and we all want that now that mosquito season will soon be on us....?? (It just struck me that some folks that do not have good command of English will be scratching there head for a few days wondering what the hell mosquitoes have to ..... well you know.) - ----------------------- I have a pretty good command of every language but Greek. But I cannot help here because what Murilo wrote is Greek to me. OOOOOoooooooo Sorry it gettin' late. Have a better day. Marnie and I are going to try - providing we hear from a couple of bods. If not boy have I got a lot to work with. Remember.... CREATE-Cut-Print Graham Abstraction allows the 'Minds Eye' to roam and imagine all matter of things. - G.A.Scholes ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v14 #1359 *****************************