Today's postings
- [Baren 31044] Finding The Time or The Great Escape (ANDY ENGLISH)
- [Baren 31045] Re: Baren Digest (old) V35 #3508 ("Marilynn Smith")
- [Baren 31046] Re: Baren Digest (old) V35 #3509 ("Marilynn Smith")
- [Baren 31047] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape (Dave Bull)
- [Baren 31048] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape ("carol wagner")
- [Baren 31049] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape (Diane Cutter)
- [Baren 31050] Re: Finding the Time ("Ellen Shipley")
- [Baren 31051] Re: question about using acrylic paints (Bobbi Chukran)
- [Baren 31052] update (l k)
- [Baren 31053] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
Message 1
From: ANDY ENGLISH
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 15:11:59 +0100 (BST)
Subject: [Baren 31044] Finding The Time or The Great Escape
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This has been an interesting thread; something very much in my thoughts. Those of you who know me personally will realise that, for many years, I have combined printmaking with a demanding teaching and management role in education. I have made those early starts, late nights and lunchtime engraving sessions That many of you have reported... until now.
The need for cost-cutting at my college has resulted in the offer of voluntary redundancy. I have applied for this and, on Friday, my offer was accepted. I will be paid a modest annuity by my employers and will set out on the scary journey of working full time as an artist for the first time of my life. It is something that I have dreamed of this and planned to do in the future but never expected the opportunity to arise.
My wife will be working an extra day a week and, in return, I am taking over the vast majority of household chores. I find engraving in the detail that I prefer is very taxing on both eyes and neck and I plan to move from one art to chore in succession. Since, my way I work involves intense activity followed by reflection,
I hope that this method will work out for me.
I will miss teaching immensely but do not plan to leave education entirely - just tread another path. I hope to teach wood engraving, perhaps offering distance learning as well as short courses in the UK and abroad. I also need to arrange exhibitions - something that I have almost avoided in the past. I am going to have to "put myself about" rather more than I have and search out new galleries to hold my work as well as find people to represent me in other parts of the world.
I am finding BAREN extremely useful as I plan for "retirement" and I am revisiting threads on art fairs and Internet selling.
Well, that's my news. I am searching for a work to describe my condition - a feeling, in equal measure, of fear and exhilaration. I hope that all is well with you all.
Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Artist Printmaker
Wood Engraving "Blog" - http://studiodiary.blogspot.com/
Albion Press Restoration "Blog" - http://albionstory.blogspot.com/
Website - in dire need of an update - www.andyenglish.co.uk
Forthcoming: New website and the launch of Oak Apple Press
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
The need for cost-cutting at my college has resulted in the offer of voluntary redundancy. I have applied for this and, on Friday, my offer was accepted. I will be paid a modest annuity by my employers and will set out on the scary journey of working full time as an artist for the first time of my life. It is something that I have dreamed of this and planned to do in the future but never expected the opportunity to arise.
My wife will be working an extra day a week and, in return, I am taking over the vast majority of household chores. I find engraving in the detail that I prefer is very taxing on both eyes and neck and I plan to move from one art to chore in succession. Since, my way I work involves intense activity followed by reflection,
I hope that this method will work out for me.
I will miss teaching immensely but do not plan to leave education entirely - just tread another path. I hope to teach wood engraving, perhaps offering distance learning as well as short courses in the UK and abroad. I also need to arrange exhibitions - something that I have almost avoided in the past. I am going to have to "put myself about" rather more than I have and search out new galleries to hold my work as well as find people to represent me in other parts of the world.
I am finding BAREN extremely useful as I plan for "retirement" and I am revisiting threads on art fairs and Internet selling.
Well, that's my news. I am searching for a work to describe my condition - a feeling, in equal measure, of fear and exhilaration. I hope that all is well with you all.
Andy
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Artist Printmaker
Wood Engraving "Blog" - http://studiodiary.blogspot.com/
Albion Press Restoration "Blog" - http://albionstory.blogspot.com/
Website - in dire need of an update - www.andyenglish.co.uk
Forthcoming: New website and the launch of Oak Apple Press
Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com
Message 2
From: "Marilynn Smith"
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 08:51:27 -0600
Subject: [Baren 31045] Re: Baren Digest (old) V35 #3508
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I keep hearing the females on this list talking about house work. Well when
the husband took his retirment I said I am retiring too. We sold that big 4
bedroom, 3 bathroom, full basement, oversized lot HOUSE. Down here we live
in an adorable little one bedroom condo, 588 sq. ft. Not much to clean. Up
north, the house will be a little larger and I will have an actual studio,
but still no where near as large. That has freed up a lot of time. Also I
told this man of mine, I cook once a day, dinner. Learn how to make a
sandwich, grab something for breakfast and I wiil fix you a nice meal, for
dinner. They can be trained, if you do not wait on them they will do for
themselves, if you do not do for them. Although mine is untrainable
concerning laundry. Art time is precious and necessary. I guess mine
timned to be afternoons when we do not have a day out planned and that works
for me! Good luck sorting it out, and get rid of those big houses, they
really take time!
Marilynn
the husband took his retirment I said I am retiring too. We sold that big 4
bedroom, 3 bathroom, full basement, oversized lot HOUSE. Down here we live
in an adorable little one bedroom condo, 588 sq. ft. Not much to clean. Up
north, the house will be a little larger and I will have an actual studio,
but still no where near as large. That has freed up a lot of time. Also I
told this man of mine, I cook once a day, dinner. Learn how to make a
sandwich, grab something for breakfast and I wiil fix you a nice meal, for
dinner. They can be trained, if you do not wait on them they will do for
themselves, if you do not do for them. Although mine is untrainable
concerning laundry. Art time is precious and necessary. I guess mine
timned to be afternoons when we do not have a day out planned and that works
for me! Good luck sorting it out, and get rid of those big houses, they
really take time!
Marilynn
Message 3
From: "Marilynn Smith"
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 08:56:53 -0600
Subject: [Baren 31046] Re: Baren Digest (old) V35 #3509
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Linda, I use shmenke pan watercolors and they are my all time favorites. I
had some pigment I bought at a workshop for hanga. Mike Lyon at the summit
said I should try the dry pigments and mixing my own. I love the Baren Mall
dry pigments and see no reason to switch. A very good choice, good qulaity.
I have not found that dust is a problem, I mix in small quantities as I need
them.
Marilynn
had some pigment I bought at a workshop for hanga. Mike Lyon at the summit
said I should try the dry pigments and mixing my own. I love the Baren Mall
dry pigments and see no reason to switch. A very good choice, good qulaity.
I have not found that dust is a problem, I mix in small quantities as I need
them.
Marilynn
Message 4
From: Dave Bull
Date: Mon, 12 Jun 2006 00:07:34 +0900
Subject: [Baren 31047] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape
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Andy English wrote:
> ... will set out on the scary journey of working full time as an
> artist for the first time of my life. It is something that I have
> dreamed of this and planned to do in the future but never expected the
> opportunity to arise.
Congratulations! I don't have the shadow of a doubt that you will be
successful at making a living at your engraving work. I'm sure it'll
take time for a new balance to establish itself - printmaking/household
duties/P-R activities/family time/etc. - but as long as there are some
'core hours' set aside for print production, the rest should fall into
place. You are just too good at this not to be successful!
Please keep us in touch with how it goes ...
Dave
(P.S. Don't know if this is a setting you have any control over, but I
wish that your blog allowed 'outsiders' to make comments; there are a
number of times when I wanted to ask you something about one of your
posts, but was not permitted to ...)
> ... will set out on the scary journey of working full time as an
> artist for the first time of my life. It is something that I have
> dreamed of this and planned to do in the future but never expected the
> opportunity to arise.
Congratulations! I don't have the shadow of a doubt that you will be
successful at making a living at your engraving work. I'm sure it'll
take time for a new balance to establish itself - printmaking/household
duties/P-R activities/family time/etc. - but as long as there are some
'core hours' set aside for print production, the rest should fall into
place. You are just too good at this not to be successful!
Please keep us in touch with how it goes ...
Dave
(P.S. Don't know if this is a setting you have any control over, but I
wish that your blog allowed 'outsiders' to make comments; there are a
number of times when I wanted to ask you something about one of your
posts, but was not permitted to ...)
Message 5
From: "carol wagner"
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 08:20:45 -0700
Subject: [Baren 31048] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape
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Andy, you are a very brave soul. Because you have something unique to offer, I'm betting that you can be a success being a full time artist. Your skills as an engraver are so perfect for book illustration. Perhaps you might consider some collaboration with book artists, as well as pursuing a world wide showing venue. The internet is such a marvelous medium for connection with all sort of possibilities for us late bloomers. I know that there are many more here on Baren that will wish you well and perhaps may be able to assist you in some manner, and if I run across anything that could benefit you I will let you know ASP.
Carol in Sacramento
Carol in Sacramento
Message 6
From: Diane Cutter
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 08:35:26 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 31049] Re: Finding The Time or The Great Escape
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Andy (and for those of you thinking of selling on the internet and through art fairs)...
Besides what you can find here in Baren, www.WetCanvas.com is extremely helpful, especially the General Art Business forum (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=32) which has an Internet Sales Strategies Forum (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70) ... Signing up is free and there is tons of stuff to research as you near retirement and other venues...
I moderate those forums so you will definitely have a friendly ear if you should introduce yourself but extensive lurking is also perfectly fine. Our own Marissa is also a regular contributor in those forums.
Diane
www.dianecutter.com
www.theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
Besides what you can find here in Baren, www.WetCanvas.com is extremely helpful, especially the General Art Business forum (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=32) which has an Internet Sales Strategies Forum (http://www.wetcanvas.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=70) ... Signing up is free and there is tons of stuff to research as you near retirement and other venues...
I moderate those forums so you will definitely have a friendly ear if you should introduce yourself but extensive lurking is also perfectly fine. Our own Marissa is also a regular contributor in those forums.
Diane
www.dianecutter.com
www.theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
Message 7
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 10:32:03 -0700
Subject: [Baren 31050] Re: Finding the Time
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>I keep hearing the females on this list talking about house work...<
I took care of that problem years ago. My husband and I enjoyed cooking as
a hobby when we were first married (3+ decades ago), and it has evolved into
his cooking the majority of the time now. We do our own laundry, I never
make the bed and the vacuum's broken. ;-] Works for me.
I have fallen into a pattern of taking art classes (currently printmaking)
at the community college every other day, and running errands and doing some
arty projects on the off days. This is complicated by having two boxers
that need watching like a couple of mischievous kids, so my attention is
always split at home. But at the print lab I can lose myself in my art for
4 or 5 hours at a time and really get some work done.
This summer we have more or less permanent weekend houseguests as my son is
back from school and has friends over. But that will settle down as he gets
his own apartment and I get his room for a weaving studio later in the
summer. 8-]
I have never been so artistically engaged as I am now, and I find it
exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. What fun.
Ellen Shipley
print blog:
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/
sketch blog:
http://thepickledpen.blogspot.com/
dog blog:
http://dogblog-catchat.blogspot.com/
I took care of that problem years ago. My husband and I enjoyed cooking as
a hobby when we were first married (3+ decades ago), and it has evolved into
his cooking the majority of the time now. We do our own laundry, I never
make the bed and the vacuum's broken. ;-] Works for me.
I have fallen into a pattern of taking art classes (currently printmaking)
at the community college every other day, and running errands and doing some
arty projects on the off days. This is complicated by having two boxers
that need watching like a couple of mischievous kids, so my attention is
always split at home. But at the print lab I can lose myself in my art for
4 or 5 hours at a time and really get some work done.
This summer we have more or less permanent weekend houseguests as my son is
back from school and has friends over. But that will settle down as he gets
his own apartment and I get his room for a weaving studio later in the
summer. 8-]
I have never been so artistically engaged as I am now, and I find it
exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. What fun.
Ellen Shipley
print blog:
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com/
sketch blog:
http://thepickledpen.blogspot.com/
dog blog:
http://dogblog-catchat.blogspot.com/
Message 8
From: Bobbi Chukran
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 16:39:03 -0500
Subject: [Baren 31051] Re: question about using acrylic paints
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> I guess it is the frustrated chemist within me, wondering why Bea
>Gold, for example, can get such bright cheerful colors when all I
>got was muted blues and yellow brown colors. Not that I can
>complain about those beautiful muted colors. I just wondered how I
>could get bright colors IF I wanted them. I couldn't print fast
>enough to use acrylics, but if you can do it, more power to you.>
Ah, that's another thing. I love the colors I can get from the
acrylics. And having used them for 20+ years, I know how to mix them
to get the colors I want. I just don't want to fool around with
mixing anything.
> The venture into sizing my own printing paper was enough to make me
>open my wallet and buy sized paper from McClains. It works Oh so
>much better. It reminds me of the wonderful description by Mary
>Krieger on the Baren Encyclopedia about sized paper. It's under
>papers in the materials section.
>
I'll check it out; thanks!
bobbi c.
>Gold, for example, can get such bright cheerful colors when all I
>got was muted blues and yellow brown colors. Not that I can
>complain about those beautiful muted colors. I just wondered how I
>could get bright colors IF I wanted them. I couldn't print fast
>enough to use acrylics, but if you can do it, more power to you.>
Ah, that's another thing. I love the colors I can get from the
acrylics. And having used them for 20+ years, I know how to mix them
to get the colors I want. I just don't want to fool around with
mixing anything.
> The venture into sizing my own printing paper was enough to make me
>open my wallet and buy sized paper from McClains. It works Oh so
>much better. It reminds me of the wonderful description by Mary
>Krieger on the Baren Encyclopedia about sized paper. It's under
>papers in the materials section.
>
I'll check it out; thanks!
bobbi c.
Message 9
From: l k
Date: Sun, 11 Jun 2006 17:06:32 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [Baren 31052] update
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Hi, Bareners....
I guess I and the rest of us who went to the BootCamp that Graham Scholes does
got a note that this year's camp has begun...
us survivors were being thought of....
The reminder got me thinking about what I'm doing now....
I have to say that
you guys were right in advising me to get some hands-on/in-person instruction
when I was determined to figured it out with a book.
I signed on to his bootcamp....
That Year of the Dog exchange
was the project to really get me practicing what all I packed into my head.....
and I've been practicing more and more since...
and finally, a couple weeks ago...I got it working for me...
not really well yet...
but, enough that I'm really fired up now....
The information I brought home with me last year..
and the direction I've taken because of last year's bootcamp
has been nothing short of invaluable for me....
We were lucky to have both Graham and Richard Steiner, whom he got in from Japan...
I think Barbara reported in on all this........
I did my best to get as much information as I possibly could from both these guys.....
When I was just beginning to asimilate the information...
I firmly believed that this process was some kind of "missing link"
for me and what I did....
it was....
and,
I'm having an absolute ball with it.
I've not run into anything that has so captured my focus like it has....
nor has been so intensely challenging.....
I'm simply hooked!
Linda
I guess I and the rest of us who went to the BootCamp that Graham Scholes does
got a note that this year's camp has begun...
us survivors were being thought of....
The reminder got me thinking about what I'm doing now....
I have to say that
you guys were right in advising me to get some hands-on/in-person instruction
when I was determined to figured it out with a book.
I signed on to his bootcamp....
That Year of the Dog exchange
was the project to really get me practicing what all I packed into my head.....
and I've been practicing more and more since...
and finally, a couple weeks ago...I got it working for me...
not really well yet...
but, enough that I'm really fired up now....
The information I brought home with me last year..
and the direction I've taken because of last year's bootcamp
has been nothing short of invaluable for me....
We were lucky to have both Graham and Richard Steiner, whom he got in from Japan...
I think Barbara reported in on all this........
I did my best to get as much information as I possibly could from both these guys.....
When I was just beginning to asimilate the information...
I firmly believed that this process was some kind of "missing link"
for me and what I did....
it was....
and,
I'm having an absolute ball with it.
I've not run into anything that has so captured my focus like it has....
nor has been so intensely challenging.....
I'm simply hooked!
Linda
Message 10
From: Blog Manager
Date: 12 Jun 2006 03:55:05 -0000
Subject: [Baren 31053] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification
Send Message: To this poster
This is an automatic update message being sent to [Baren] by the forum blog software.
The following new entries were found on the listed printmaker's websites during the past 24 hours. (21 sites checked, five minutes before midnight Eastern time)
*****************
Site Name: David Bull, Woodblock Printmaker
Item: Scroll Project Update: Carving of some small patterns
http://woodblock.com/scroll/progress/06_11.html
*****************
[Baren] members: if you have a printmaking blog (or a website with a published ATOM feed), and wish it to be included in this daily checklist, please write to the Baren Blog Manager at:
http://barenforum.org/contact_baren.php
For reference, sites/blogs currently being checked are:
http://barenforum.org/blog
http://woodblock.com
http://woodblockdreams.blogspot.com
http://studiodiary.blogspot.com
http://larimerart.blogspot.com
http://artflights.blogspot.com
http://perfect-press.blogspot.com
http://printmakersmaterials.blogspot.com
http://mlyon.com/blog
http://room535.blogspot.com
http://mleeprints.blogspot.com
http://snowgum.blogspot.com
http://onthisblock.blogspot.com
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
http://theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
http://PLawing-Printmaker.blogspot.com
http://readdevine.blogspot.com
http://mokuhankan.com/conversations
http://mokuhankan.com
http://belindadelpesco.blogspot.com
The following new entries were found on the listed printmaker's websites during the past 24 hours. (21 sites checked, five minutes before midnight Eastern time)
*****************
Site Name: David Bull, Woodblock Printmaker
Item: Scroll Project Update: Carving of some small patterns
http://woodblock.com/scroll/progress/06_11.html
*****************
[Baren] members: if you have a printmaking blog (or a website with a published ATOM feed), and wish it to be included in this daily checklist, please write to the Baren Blog Manager at:
http://barenforum.org/contact_baren.php
For reference, sites/blogs currently being checked are:
http://barenforum.org/blog
http://woodblock.com
http://woodblockdreams.blogspot.com
http://studiodiary.blogspot.com
http://larimerart.blogspot.com
http://artflights.blogspot.com
http://perfect-press.blogspot.com
http://printmakersmaterials.blogspot.com
http://mlyon.com/blog
http://room535.blogspot.com
http://mleeprints.blogspot.com
http://snowgum.blogspot.com
http://onthisblock.blogspot.com
http://pressing-issues.blogspot.com
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
http://theitinerantartist.blogspot.com
http://PLawing-Printmaker.blogspot.com
http://readdevine.blogspot.com
http://mokuhankan.com/conversations
http://mokuhankan.com
http://belindadelpesco.blogspot.com