Baren Digest Wednesday, 4 September 2002 Volume 20 : Number 1947 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Tyrus Clutter" Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 09:29:13 -0600 Subject: [Baren 19045] Done Sorry this is on the regular list and not the exchange 14 list (that address wasn't popping up and I didn't want to look for it at the moment). I am done with my #14 prints and, Darrell, they will be in the mail today or tomorrow. It has been a hectic couple weeks with classes beginning, printing two woodcuts (and finishing the carving on one), then staying up until 2 AM last night to finish three paintings just to "enter" in a show. I guess meeting deadlines is good for me otherwise I'd never get any art finished. Also, I bought a new Mac Powerbook last week and will eventually be doing a website for the galleries here and then one for myself. Wait til about the new year to see these things start to pop up. I have a lot of new software to learn. TyRuS ><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~><~>< Prof. Tyrus Clutter Professor of Painting, Printmaking, & Art History Director of Friesen Art Galleries Dept. of Art & Music Northwest Nazarene University 623 Holly St. Nampa, Idaho 83686 TRClutter#NNU.edu (208) 467-8398 ------------------------------ From: jimandkatemundie#juno.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 12:23:06 -0500 Subject: [Baren 19046] Re: "Munakata Shiko: Japanese Master of the Modern Print" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art Ray Hudson wrote: > I've just received a copy of Munakata Shiko: Japanese Master of the > Modern Print, published for the exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum > of Art (27 July to 10 Nov.) and at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art > (5 Dec to 2 March 2003). It's expensive ($65 plus $10 > postage/handling) but it has to be the most beautiful & breaktaking catalog I've > seen. It's hard-cover, 227 pages, filled with wonderful full color woodcuts, > calligraphy, paintings, etc. The woodcuts are like none other in the world. > The photographs of Muntkata smiling are infectious. I'm a great > fan of his work, but there are many here I've never seen. Hello all, I just returned from a fabulous two weeks on the outer tip of Cape Cod, where I happily started two new woodcuts of a rather large size (for me). However, the reason I'm writing now is to say that the week before we left for Massachusetts, Kate and I had a chance to do a quick fly through of the Munakata show at the PMA (I had to drop in for business, so why not add a bit of pleasure?). It's an amazing show -- one that I will have to go back and spend much more time over. It seems that most of the pieces here on display are from the Munakata Museum in Nippon. Although the catalog is lovely (and a bit pricey even with my employee discount), there really is no substitute for seeing these works in person. I don't believe I had ever seen any of Munakata's work 'in the flesh before' and I was simply blown away by the scale of these prints and the energy of his cutting. More than that was the method of presentation: series of prints mounted on large folding screens. The effect is stunning -- monumental and yet functional. Several prints in the show are fifteen or more feet long, and it just made my arm ache to see all that acreage he had to cover with the baren, though the exertion was more than worthwhile (his, I mean). Ray, have you been able to make it down to Philly yet to see the show? If not, you _must_. You certainly won't be sorry for having made the trip. Regards, James Mundie http://missioncreep.com/mundie/index.htm ------------------------------ From: "PHARE-CAMP,PATTI (HP-USA,ex1)" Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 12:55:35 -0400 Subject: [Baren 19047] RE: Baren Digest V20 #1944 I think in regards to editioning that we are supposed to be doing ART not commercial printing. In the "old days" the graphic arts were also the commercial arts and then concise editioning was more important. Many of the Bauhaus artists felt that requiring exact consistency in editioning art prints detracted from the ART and became mere craft. Many of them used different colors or papers, but the image in the edition remained the same, without any other significant changes. Art is about putting a piece of your soul into your work. Machines are technically precise and they have no soul; human beings are beautifully imperfect. The most beloved opera singers rarely have precise voices, though the song may be one that has been sung the same way for centuries, something about them stands out and they move us with their passion. All that being said, in an edition you do need to have some consistency usually it's found in the image. And if there are differences, ethically the fact that it's not an exact edition should be disclosed. I love that the thread was editioning after there was a request that we go to ebay and tell them what an art print is! Offset print posters that are sold to an art ignorant public are a major peeve with me; for the reason I state above. ART is made by people not by machines! Also, the original image was created by the artist, not the posters, so the press operator should be signing the posters as it was his skill that made it a success, the artist's signature does not make it a work of art. I wont even go into what I think about 90% of so called "computer art." Yes I will... I've used computers to do graphic design for 20 years, I know how little talent it takes to click a mouse. Unlike art mediums, once you've learned to use a computer application it no longer takes great skill to execute a composition (granted it does take a good eye). As for the other 10%, I've seen works done by artist who use the computer as a tool to sketch and pre-plan color for prints or paintings (I sometimes do that). There are artists who manipulate their own sketches or photographs then print them out, and some of those have been very striking. I even know an artist who prints out her scanned photographs, paintings and drawings then collages them to canvas and paints into them. Her work is incredible. But when I see someone with no art training scan a tulip and change the color of it in Photoshop and then say it's art...well let's just say I go though the same gamut of emotions that I experience when I hear the words Thomas Kincaid! An added note, I work for a major computer company and I've been told there is NO computer ink in existence that is museum quality archival, no matter what a salesman may tell you about his company's inks, they are all fugitive. So anything printed from computers is impermanent; well OK so is a painting, but a 1000 + years is the life of a good painting (how old are the dead sea scrolls) versus 50 or less for a glicee...even an offset printed poster has a longer shelf life! Happy Arting, Patti Phare-Camp ------------------------------ From: "PHARE-CAMP,PATTI (HP-USA,ex1)" Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 11:01:11 -0700 Subject: [Baren 19048] RE: Baren Digest V20 #1945 "I don't have anything to add, but her disgustion..." Professor, as always you are such a hoot! I love your satire and irreverence! If you ever feel like you have to be word careful for baran, e-me the true words I love to lessons in thinking and I'm used to getting over my own afront...Ever notice how surprise and shock set you up for thought? Happy Arting, Patti ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII#aol.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 14:12:47 EDT Subject: [Baren 19049] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1944 then again most art should not survive lol Fluxus deliberately printed on bad paper as they rejected fine art printing it is funny seeing the stuff sold in fine art galleries for big bucks. An edition is an edition but I will accept the normative meaning of it. It is important if you are marketing your stuff, although I could never understand how a living artist could be worth anywhere near what an old master print is worth ESP early states of a print. Even thought the concept of an edition was not known to Albrect Durer. Not so important if you are not. Currently I edition prints for exchanges such as WEN & BAREN my other printmaking is more like a series of unique prints even if I repeat a key block as in artist books. john center ------------------------------ From: "Rudolf Stalder" Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 14:58:36 -0700 Subject: [Baren 19050] LPE-I Hi all, some final news from the first LPE The web-exhibit of LPE-I drew about 600 visitors so far The images of the complete prints attracted over 100 visitors each, the pics presenting details about 35. Thanks goes to Dave for featuring the web-address on the entry page of Barens for the last three months. Web-addresses : Information board LPE-II http://www.rst-art.com/lpe.htm Web-exhibit LPE-I http://www.rst-art.com/lpewebshowtemp.htm best to all Rudolf ------------------------------ From: Dan Dew Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 17:36:10 -0400 Subject: [Baren 19051] Couple things I have been selling a lot of prints lately! Apparently, my animal prints are hot. Which is cool, because my love of printmaking is finally paying for itself. I'm not getting rich, but at least and for once I'm covering my costs. Has anyone ever printed varnish? I've been looking at room painting and noticed a neat technique involving painting areas with and without a varnish coat and thought of prints. Anyone? d. dew ------------------------------ From: GraphChem#aol.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 18:51:27 EDT Subject: [Baren 19052] Re: Couple things Dan - It's actually a common commercial technique - spot printing an overprint varnish over one area or color to really set it off. No reason why it wouldn't work for some types of prints as well. I'm not sure that I see it for woodcuts - particularly with Japanese papers, but then I never claimed to be a visionary. Dean ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII#aol.com Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 19:01:08 EDT Subject: [Baren 19053] Re: Couple things i have printed with trans-parent base with or without ink affects how the paper absorbs ink some cool effects john center ------------------------------ From: "pwalls1234" Date: Tue, 3 Sep 2002 20:29:58 -0500 Subject: [Baren 19054] printing varnish Dan, I have printed intaglio, woodblock and litho with clear (gloss or matte) overprint varnish. I had some problems when toooo much varnish printed and it would dry funny. Overall it prints some interesting textural effects. Also have used it for flocking a print. pete w. ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V20 #1947 *****************************