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Message 1
From: JEANNE CHASE
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 07:16:28 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 24146] Re: late lurkers
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I agree with Barbara totally.
We cannot run the Baren with an Iron Fist. It will
certainly turn many people off.
I have been a Coordinator twice. The first time all
went well and the second time it was a real nightmare.
But I accepted the job, knowing very well that
sometimes "things" happen and as human beings we are
not infallible.

PS. Barbara, I just sent my Portrait Exchange prints
out this morning. Yes, folks, they were late due to a
computer crash that I had to overcome.

Jeanne N.

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Message 2
From: "Amanda Yopp"
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 08:38:04 -0700
Subject: [Baren 24147] Re: Active Bareners
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I agree with Joseph. Those are some great ideas.
I am one of those lurkers with the occasional comment here and there. My
lurking is only because I can't keep up with the amount of email I get from
others as well as Baren. My life is especially busy with applying to
teaching jobs (its that time of year).
on Exchange 19- I admit my prints are late but they will be in the mail
tonight. My life got in the way or rather my father having a stroke got in
the way. So everything is not so black and white for participants.
on another note:
Will any one be at CAA in Seattle? Let me know - I would like to meet up.
-Amanda Yopp
Tucson, AZ
>
>I think lurkers should be welcome.
>I do not post on a regular basis and I don't feel I should post if I have
>no opinion on a current topic.
>
>In regard to the exchanges, perhaps the coordinator should have the power
>to request:
>
>A conformation email at time of sign up
>A second contact halfway through the time period
>And a third check in one month out with their colophon information.
>
>If the exchange coordinator has not heard from someone at the halfway mark
>of the exchange period, then the coordinator should be empowered to delete
>that person from the exchange and then contact the next person on the
>waiting list. Make it a cut an dry system where we all know the rules.
>
>The deadlines should not drive the coordinators to frustration.
>
>Joe Sheridan

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Message 3
From: "marilynn smih"
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 08:00:48 -0800
Subject: [Baren 24148] Re: Active Bareners
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As an artist I think patience is a virtue. When we exchange work we are not
making money, we are not submitting to a gallery, a musem or a contest. I
ran a small refuse exchange and had to wait for work to come in. I heard
frustration from those who had sent in their work on time, but I recieved
emails from those who were late. Because the exchange was small to begin
with I chose to be patient and give as much time as possible to the late
comers so we could all hold in our hands as many prints as possible.
On the other side the KEY WAS I HEARD FROM THOSE WHO WERE LATE AND THEY
CAME THROUGH WITH WORK except for one person and that person sent an email
saying they would not be able to finish a print. I like the idea that the
coordinator has email contact throughout an exchange, thus being assured
that work is in progress.
I am slow, I like to take my time with my prints, i do not want a shorter
tiime to complete them.
I do understand the frustration of those who bend over backwards to complete
work by a deadline. I did that. I sent in a print for the playing card
exchange that did not meet my standards, but it was doon. So, I lowered my
standards so that it was in on time, rather than start a new print. But that
was a personal choice and I do not mind waiting. Whenever I get a package
of prints it is a wonderful thing and a joy.
I personally like the open policies of Baren. I am not a wood cut artist, I
am a painter. My work is not what a Marie Arango, a John Center, a Mike
Lyon, a Barbara Mason, or many others that I am leaving out, can produce.
But I have learned a lot and have found friendship on Baren.
I think an exchange coordinator should set up direct email contacts with
participants and ask them directly where the work is. I like the idea of a
check in at the beggining the middle and than toward the end to measure
progress. I think if an exchange participant has left the list they have
left the exchange. COMMUNICATION seems in order.
Marilynn Smith

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Message 4
From: Emma Jane Hogbin
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 11:30:44 -0500
Subject: [Baren 24149] monkey print scans
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I'm not sure who to contact about this, however, I am happy to scan the
monkey prints as they come in for inclusion on the baren site. Could
someone please get in touch with me and let me know if this is
1) needed
2) how the prints should be scanned (i.e. final output size)

thanks,
emma

--
Emma Jane Hogbin
[[ 416 417 2868 ][ www.xtrinsic.com ]]

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Message 5
From: L Cass
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 11:24:46 -0500
Subject: [Baren 24150] Re: Lurker Checking in
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Hello Linda the Lurker!

I guess many of us might call ourselves lurkers!

I tried a piece of mahogany last summer in the U.K. -it is very, very hard
to cut. Maria Arango's cherry plywood for the puzzle was lovely but I'd
rather use solid cherry (which I must go about procuring as I've been using
pine (well aged,etc but a bit soft) I originally started at art school in
sculpture (which I abandoned for painting) but also find 'woodcutting'
satisfys my 'lurking' need to sculpt.

Louise Cass



www.LCassArt.com

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Message 6
From: JMartin906 # aol.com
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 12:55:56 EST
Subject: [Baren 24151] lurking and lateness
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I agree with the people who say it's worthwhile to give lurkers a chance at
the exchanges.

I am more disturbed by exchanges that go on and on. I can procrastinate with
the best, but I'll do what's necessary to get my prints in on time. I think
I owe that to the other people in the exchange. I understand a grace period
of a week or so, but I think that's enough.

I am not disturbed if a few folks don't come through and the exchange is less
than 30 prints. It's just as much fun for me to get 26 prints as 30.

I think sending the exchanges out on time, short some prints if necesssary,
is the most powerful and fairest way to get people to have their work in on
time.

Suzi

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Message 7
From: "Ramsey Household"
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 09:58:33 -0800
Subject: [Baren 24152] Ghost sign-ups
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What if you give a new contributor a certain amount of time to respond at the beginning of an exchange. If they don't respond after one or maybe two efforts to contact them, they will be dropped and the next person on the waiting list will be brought into the exchange. Maybe the co-ordinators are being too nice, and are spending way too much of their time trying to find people.

I have been in Baren for a very long time and love it. I mostly lurk, but sometimes respond. The exchanges get more fantastic all the time. And yes, I feel like I know some of you.

Carolyn

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Message 8
From: b.patera # att.net
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 18:05:07 +0000
Subject: [Baren 24153] Re: Self Portrait Exchange
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Jeanne,

Will be watching for your prints.

Self Portrait update: 10 sets in and at least 2 in the mail.... mine here of
course, and one set to be hand delivered ( along with helping hands ). 12
sets in various stages and I hope they will be in the mail soon.

Unfortunately there are 2 participants that I haven't heard from and I'm
assuming that they are no longer in the exchange. If I'm wrong e-mail me!

Regards,

Barbara Patera


> I agree with Barbara totally.
> We cannot run the Baren with an Iron Fist. It will
> certainly turn many people off.
> I have been a Coordinator twice. The first time all
> went well and the second time it was a real nightmare.
> But I accepted the job, knowing very well that
> sometimes "things" happen and as human beings we are
> not infallible.
>
> PS. Barbara, I just sent my Portrait Exchange prints
> out this morning. Yes, folks, they were late due to a
> computer crash that I had to overcome.
>
> Jeanne N.

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Message 9
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 13:07:06 -0600
Subject: [Baren 24154] Re: late exchanges, lurkers and active members...
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First of all welcome to all the new members and a special thanks to Maria
Arango for taking back control of the Baren-suji newsletter....another
great issue off the press...Maria, thanks again !

This latest round of discussion has certainly created much interest and
already we have seen many members really 'open up" and come forth with
some very positive ideas. It almost reads like if we were all sitting
around in some convention face-to-face and openly expressing our feelings
to one another. This is a very good thing for a group of artists to be
able to do...to speak up from the heart. For many of us getting to know
each other at the KC Summit allows us a chance to get a bit more
personal. I am sure our group will be stronger for all of this.

I have been a member for quite a while now and have participated in all of
the twenty exchanges Baren has sponsored. In the early days we could count
membership with our fingers and toes....I clearly remember celebrating
when we reached fifty members !.....now membership is in the hundreds and
reaches people in every continent. Our website and Barenmall are very
popular and attract record number of searches/inquiries everyday. For the
record I'll throw my own opinion in to be counted as another voice in the
discussion.

Active members. As far back as I can remember 'active' membership has
always been defined as just holding a subscription to
barenforum.org.....wether it is the regular version or the one-a-day
digest. No other participation is required although an introductory
message is suggested and regular posting is encouraged in our guidelines.
Some give a lot and some give what they can....but we ALL form part of
[Baren].

Lurkers. I think almost everyone here started out as a 'lurker', feeling
the waters, reading the archives and the encyclopedia, getting a feel for
the baren community and it's membership and usually waiting their time
until they feel comfortable to post a contribution. Some of our most vocal
members started out as 'lurkers'. More and more I have noticed
subscription notices whose email ids end on '.edu'. This tells me that
perhaps we are reaching the schools , their Art department...and even
perhaps reaching the student population in some small way.

Late Exchanges. I can not emphasize enough what a tremendous job Mike Lyon
and our exchange coordinators do day in and day out.....Murillo said: "
the coordinator never sleeps" and I believe him ! With very few exceptions
the exchanges 'do' get done and mailed out within somewhat acceptable time
frames and have been a huge success. Mike and his fearless gang deserve
all the credit. Baren's exchange program has been responsible for the
creation and distribution of over 18,000 prints during the last five
years....prints that are and about all over the world and have been
shared with many others via our exhibitions and are enduring testament to
our time together.

If the exchanges and other functions suffer at times, it is usually due
to the poor timing of a few well-intentioned members (myself included) who
are excited and grateful to be part of this printmaking community and want
to give something back in return. Sometimes even at the risk of not
knowing when to step aside, take a break or just plainly say.... no.

thanks again....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois)

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Message 10
From: Julie Sparks
Date: Fri, 06 Feb 2004 11:20:41 -0800
Subject: [Baren 24155] another new member
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Greetings everyone,

I am a new member, but I have been reading the Baren archives for quite
a while, so I feel like I know you all already! I just hope I am sending
this email properly.

My name is Julie Sparks, and I am an amateur printmaker in Oregon. I
took a few printmaking classes in college a few years back--woodcuts and
collagraphs, and etching/aquatint--and got hooked. Now that I have
graduated and work full-time at my university, I do my printmaking at
home, but have been taking lots of art history (yes--for credit!),
including a few with printmaking emphasis. This semester it's a museum
studies class that is kind of like a cross between an art history class
that meets in the print study room and an internship in works on paper.
So much fun, and so inspiring to be working with prints and drawings for
several hours each week, even if our collection is a young one.

While I do enjoy intaglio printing, and monotype, for that matter, my
primary interest is relief. I have my own little pitiful Dick Blick
press that drives me nuts, but I guess it does do its job fairly well
with some coaxing. So far I have just worked with oily inks on lino and
shina plywood, though I have some little cherry blocks from McClain's
impatiently waiting for me to get my courage up, and some tiny little
30-year old boxwood blocks from my grandma all ready for me to learn
wood engraving. Incidentally, I would be interested to hear some of your
thoughts on the difference between carving solid plank wood versus the
plywood. My current technique, which is basically the exclusive use of a
slant-tipped mushroom-handled knife to carve outlines and pop the top
ply off, is perfect for the plywood, and gives me the effects that I
want, but won't work for solid blocks; hence my procrastination.

I noticed in the archives that you have been having quite a discussion
regarding lurkers and print exchanges, so I thought I would say up front
that I tend to be a lurker, in real- life discussions as much as online.
I will gladly speak up if I think I have something to contribute, but I
still have so much to learn. As for print exchanges, I definitely agree
that if you sign up, you are making a voluntary commitment that, barring
unforeseen emergencies or acts of God, you should make every possible
effort to fulfill on time. At the same time, I think it is a great idea
to have wait-listers make their editions regardless of drop-outs, and
send those not used in the exchange to the Swap Shop. I have recently
participated in a few other exchanges (the Self-Portrait exchange on
Printmaking Links, and as a replacement printer in the deck of cards
exchange), but as a new Barener, I would be happy to send my next
edition to the Swap Shop if that would validate me as an exchange
participant. :)

I've been kicking around some ideas since finishing my self-portrait
print last week, and want to do some experimentation with transparency
and ghosted images, so I think that is my next project. But I have
rambled on long enough. Thanks so much for this wonderful resource, and
I look forward to participating, hopefully, on a regular basis.

--
Julie C. Sparks
Mark O. Hatfield Library
Willamette University
Salem, Oregon

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Message 11
From: Catherine Dreiss
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 13:49:20 -0600 (GMT-06:00)
Subject: [Baren 24156] Re: Junked Treadmill Runners
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-----Original Message-----
From Darrell Madis

>Just a note that might be helpful to others printing woodblocks on an etching press.
>I've found an easy way is by using the rubber runner from a junked treadmill between the
>press roller and the block, instead of paper or card packing as I've seen recommended. It's
>about a sixteenth of an inch thick, quite dense but flexible. (I usually use 1/4 inch cherry
>or birch plywood for my blocks.) Seems to work well and I had no trouble cutting a piece 15 by
>30 inches to fit my press.



Darrell: I think that is a really interesting idea. I use etching felts. Do you get very heavy embossing
>when you use the rubber?

Caye

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Message 12
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 15:14:39 -0600
Subject: [Baren 24157] Re: monkey print scans
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Emma writes:
"I am happy to scan the monkey prints as they come in for inclusion on the
baren site. Could someone please get in touch with me "

Hi Emma, thanks so much, we don't have a current page to display the
monkey prints yet but let me set something up and I will send you
instructions off-list on how to upload the images to Baren......I am still
finishing up the mailing of the calendar orders and quickly falling behind
on one exchange so I certainly welcome the help.

I'll touch base with you off-list after the weekend.....

thanks....Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois)

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Message 13
From: "MPereira"
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 19:27:24 -0200
Subject: [Baren 24158] Re: Self Portrait Exchange
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Barbara,
I'm in. My prints are ready going on monday,
it's ok for you?
Please confirm your address.
Murilo

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Message 14
From: "Ramsey Household"
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 14:05:05 -0800
Subject: [Baren 24159] Re: Junked Treadmill Runners
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I have used a 4 inch think foam pad (as in upholstry) to print on an
etching press. Saves wear and tear on expensive felts and you can do deep
embossing. You can get them cut to order at an upholstry shop at a much,
much lower price than felts. They work very well and hold up very well
also.

Carolyn

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Message 15
From: FurryPressII # aol.com
Date: Fri, 6 Feb 2004 17:28:32 EST
Subject: [Baren 24160] todays arrivals exchange 19
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we are now 21 (legal) lol

three came today
James Mundie
bette Wappner
S Taylor

john center

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End of [Baren] Digest