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Message 1
From: David Bull
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 00:07:32 +0900
Subject: [Baren 23930] Re: David Bull opening in Tokyo
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Mike wrote:

> ... in part it announces David's 15th annual print exhibition
> which opens on Thursday at Gallery Shinjuku Takano in
> Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo and runs through Jan. 27.

Back from opening day ... just put up a selection of photos showing a
'walk-around' of the room. It's _very_ similar to last year's show; I
could probably have used the same photos and nobody would notice ...

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~xs3d-bull/exhibitions_events/finished_events.html

Quite busy today ... looking forward to a good weekend!

Dave

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Message 2
From: L Cass
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 10:23:16 -0500
Subject: [Baren 23931] Re: David Bull opening in Tokyo
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May I add my congratulations to Dave on his work and the very interesting
write-up from Tokyo. You also deserve continued plaudits and thanks for
setting up one of the better things to come about on the internet!
best to all
Louise Cass

www.LCassArt.com

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Message 3
From: Bette Wappner
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 13:20:39 -0500
Subject: [Baren 23932] Re: David Bull opening in Tokyo
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Congratulations David on your Fifteenth Annual Exhibition!

Always, a very nice showcase of your work. Always, wishing I could come.

Thank you for sharing your photos.

Many good wishes for your continued success and happiness.

Sincerely,
Bette Wappner

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Message 4
From: Earl Taft
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:27:25 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 23933] Re: Baren Digest V26 #2519- Oiling Barens
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Steve Wrote:

>Hi, I read in one book that the baren should be oiled before use.
>What kind of oil do you use and wouldn't it get onto the back of
>the paper causing it to go transparent?


Steve,
I use Sansho (Camellia) oil on the bamboo-leaf-covered
Murasaki barens and Kikuhide Hon barens sold on the
Baren Mall. It is a light oil that will not damage the
prints. It is available through the Baren Mall listed
under "Other Printing Supplies."

I just started printmaking myself and found it
recommended there when I ordered three Barens from
them. I understand it protects the bamboo-leaf cover
from wear during the printing process. You shouldn't
use so much you soak the cover. They recommend a
cloth-covered piece of wood as a resting place for the
baren while printing, also available in the same
location. They say that once the oil saturates the
cloth, you can just pass the baren over the cloth to
charge it up.

I am not aware of the need for oil on other types of
barens. Does anyone else know about the preparation of
other type barens?
Good luck!
Earl

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Message 5
From: ArtfulCarol # aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 15:33:06 EST
Subject: [Baren 23934] Re: Baren Digest V26 #2519- Oiling Barens
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Steve,
On a ball bearing Baren I use camelia oil. A piece of cloth is saturated
with the oil and the baren is kept on it so it doesn't rust. The oil doesn't
seem to get on the paper being printed. I use water media .
My 2 cents:
In today's newspaper- this relates to what you mentioned about "cheating":
>It is easier to be original when one has no boundaries and when one
>answers to self-created rules.

>---Bernard Holland

>I always thought that problem solving is highly overrated and that problem
>creation is far more interesting .

>---Chuck Close


These 2 quotes speak to me and maybe to some of you who go the experimental
way.

So it is not cheating, in fact you seem to be working out things well on
your own. No woodblock police here, (or I would be locked up)

Carol L.

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Message 6
From: Consoft # aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 16:55:42 EST
Subject: [Baren 23935] Plywood
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Once again thanks to everyone who helped with my earlier questions. But
here's another.

I'm using normal commercial plywood while I'm still experimenting. Its
fairly good quality but its still much cheaper than wood. You can't carve delicate
details because it chips but I figured it would be ok for fooling around
with. However when I print, the grain shows clearly and in great detail. I
actually like the look of it but at this stage I want to get flat, even, colour.
If I put more pigment and/or paste on then the prints go blobby. Do you think
my problem will disappear when I use good wood?

Steve

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Message 7
From: "Claudia G. Coonen"
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 11:27:18 -1000
Subject: [Baren 23936] Re: Baren Digest V26 #2519- Oiling Barens
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Hi ,
in lieu of camelia oil , we use a block of bee's wax, to rub the baren
over and helps things glide along.
claudia

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Message 8
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 17:33:23 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23937] Re: Plywood
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Steve wrote:

>I'm using normal commercial plywood while I'm still experimenting. Its
>fairly good quality but its still much cheaper than wood. You can't carve
>delicate details because it chips but I figured it would be ok for fooling
>around with. However when I print, the grain shows clearly and in great
>detail. I actually like the look of it but at this stage I want to get
>flat, even, colour. If I put more pigment and/or paste on then the prints
>go blobby. Do you think my problem will disappear when I use good wood?

Well, whether this is a "problem" is debatable, as visible woodgrain in the
print is pretty coveted by many printers... I'm assuming that you are using
fir or pine plywood and you are probably not doing much if any surface
preparation... The grain prints because of several factors.

One important factor is the relative porosity (or impermeability) of the
various components which make up the 'grain'. In the plywood I imagine you
are using, the darker areas are much harder, smoother, and less absorbent
than the lighter areas. So the lighter areas hold more water and pigment
and print darker. You can enhance this by squeegeeing the surface prior to
printing -- that'll wipe the dark areas pretty 'clean' and they'll print
only very lightly. Other woods have much less of this characteristic (and
are also easier to carve as a result since the wood is more homogenous --
cherry is a good example -- more resistant to the knife, but pretty much
the same density all over). A similar factor is how 'flat' the surface is
-- your plywood is probably almost shiny smooth in the dark areas and dull
and porous in the lighter areas. Shiny smooth-planed areas print lighter
than rough or unsanded areas. Varnished or shellacked areas also print
lighter. Other woods like oak and ash have even more pronounced differences
in porosity and if the ink is 'final brushed' across the grain, these woods
print pronounced 'grain' almost like intaglio printing in addition to
surface printing the flat smooth areas between the exposed fiber
bundles.this affects.

An easy and relatively inexpensive way to experiment is to go to your local
lumberteria and buy some veneered plywood -- get some oak, some ash, some
cherry, some walnut. Buy a plank of basswood if they have any (you'll love
its buttery soft easy-to-carve consistency, I bet). Each of these will
carve and print differently. Try it, and good luck!

-- Mike

Mike Lyon
http://mlyon.com

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Message 9
From: Catherine Dreiss
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 17:46:49 -0600 (GMT-06:00)
Subject: [Baren 23938] Re: Plywood
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Archivist's Note: This message contained no content

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Message 10
From: Bette Wappner
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 19:19:08 -0500
Subject: [Baren 23939] Online Publ. for Moku-Hanga - Frank Trueba's featured
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Dear Bareners

Thanks to this fine online publication that has a passion for publishing
moku-hanga woodblock printmaking, I would like to announce the feature of
Frank Trueba's art.

http://simplyhaiku.com/

This publication offers world-wide exposure to a genre of Japanese arts,
both modern and traditional in poetry as well as art.

Enjoy the galleries of beautiful art and poetry. Also take a look at the
previous issues under "Archives".

May you be inspired as well as informed.

Bette Wappner
bettewappner@fuse.net

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Message 11
From: "Gilda Zimmerling"
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 18:9:29 -0800
Subject: [Baren 23940] exchange 18
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Exchange 18 is on the way. I have received the last set of prints and will be mailing out tomorrow so keep an eye out for the mail person. Gilda

--- Gilda Zimmerling
--- gemzeditionz@earthlink.net

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Message 12
From: FurryPressII # aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 22:31:35 EST
Subject: [Baren 23941] Re: Plywood
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One of the problems i had when i used plywood even with the best grade of
commercial plywood there are voids were knotholes would be under the second
layer. There is one kind of commercial plywood that is made up of very thin
layers which does not seem to have these voids in it. One of the other problems
i have had with plywood is that it splinters more than plank wood. One thing
you can do is to use spray shellac to seal the wood and olso make it less
likely to splinter
The glue in plywood is hard on tools.
except for prints with large flat areas i don't enjoy working with plywood, i
would rather glue plank grain wood together and sand it than use plywood

john center
p.s. David Mohallatee prints arrived so 4 in the house. One person has
dropped out due to medical reasons so carol if you could send your print it
would be very welcome

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Message 13
From: FurryPressII # aol.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 22:35:04 EST
Subject: [Baren 23942] Re: Shunga?
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carol one person droped out due to medical reasons i hope you can have
your prints for the shunga exchange.

john center

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Message 14
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 2004 23:25:46 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23943] Re: Plywood
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Hi Steve, not sure if this would help with your particular type of plywood
but it's certainly worth a try....is a technique used in traditional hanga
to help eliminate
grain....

http://www.barenforum.org/encyclopedia/entries/onepoint/018_01/018_01_frame.html

good luck and welcome to all the new barenforum members........Julio
Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois)

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Message 15
From: Consoft # aol.com
Date: Fri, 23 Jan 2004 04:35:15 EST
Subject: [Baren 23944] Re: Plywood
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Caye,

Thanks for your advice. I like making big prints too but in the past I have
always used lino. I have a question for you though. I was under the
impression (no pun intended) that the way wood block printing worked was by the
pigment getting into the grain and pores of the wood so that when you pressed down
on the Baren the pigment was forced back up into the paper. So if you prime
the wood wouldn't that defeat the object?

I did a bit more experimenting last night and found that I get a much better
print if I use the back of a spoon rather than the baren. The baren I use is
a speedball baren which is actually quite soft. On another subject Bernard
mentioned the use of a ball bearing baren which I hadn't heard of. I imagine
that would allow you to apply a much higher pressure so maybe I need a harder
one.

Cheers
Steve

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