Today's postings

  1. [Baren 44012] Need a volunteer (Daniel Dew)
  2. [Baren 44013] Re: Need a volunteer ( slinders # comcast.net)
  3. [Baren 44014] Re: A question ("Ellen Shipley")
  4. [Baren 44015] Maria and proper credits (Guadalupe Victorica)
  5. [Baren 44016] Re: A question (ArtfulCarol # aol.com)
  6. [Baren 44017] a helping hand, so to speak (Joe Martin)
  7. [Baren 44018] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V56 #5720 (Aug 24, 2011) (Marilynn Smith)
  8. [Baren 44019] Re: a helping hand, so to speak (Lori Edwards)
  9. [Baren 44020] Re: a helping hand, so to speak (jujujan # verizon.net)
  10. [Baren 44021] Messages to Baren (Gayle Wohlken)
  11. [Baren 44022] Re: a helping hand, so to speak (ArtfulCarol # aol.com)
  12. [Baren 44023] Re: a helping hand, so to speak (Graham Scholes)
  13. [Baren 44024] Re: Recycling old blocks (Jan Telfer)
  14. [Baren 44025] RE: Need a volunteer (Betsy Holster)
  15. [Baren 44026] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Daniel Dew
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:13:07 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44012] Need a volunteer
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In my day job, I am doing business with a manufacturer of high qualify MDF boards (cut to size).
He has sent me a sample box of 12" x 12" x 1/4" that I have used in my western style printing. I love it!

Anyone wants to try out it Moku Hanga style? I can send you a few pieces to use. 12" x 12". USA only please.

Daniel Dew
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Message 2
From: slinders # comcast.net
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 14:36:26 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44013] Re: Need a volunteer
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Hi, Dan,

The high quality MDF is wonderful! (Home Depot doesn't carry the
good stuff!) Wonderful to cut, no voids, terrific for relief
prints!

It's my understanding that it will swell with moisture, but I
don't do that kind of printmaking so I don't know.

Sharen
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Message 3
From: "Ellen Shipley"
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:27:24 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44014] Re: A question
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As Linda said:
"I was taught to deface my blocks and plates when I was done with them -
although I never have. Seems rather rude."

I agree. I've never defaced my blocks (I've never finished out an edition
either, but I doubt I ever will). I want to give myself plenty of room to
play so I say they're editons of 100, but I seldom make half that, often
much less. I guess I'm overly optimistic, or fooling myself. I never seem
to go back to an old block anyway.

Also I love the idea of furniture or bento boxes!

And as Elizabeth said:
"But a few of them are left with a really beautiful pattern. I have been
tempted recently to use damp paper and lots of pressure to do some blind
embossing.


Otherwise, they might make some interesting garden steps..."

Garden steps!! I love it! ;-D

Mine are tossed into a basket, stacked on edge on a shelf, gernerally
getting all over the place. I once thought I'd ink them up (or stain them)
and hang them on the wall as art, but as I said, I haven't closed out an
edition yet, so it seems premature.

Great discussion tho!

Ellen
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Message 4
From: Guadalupe Victorica
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:35:20 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44015] Maria and proper credits
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Maria I know how you feel. One of the best compliments I have gotten from my family is one of my oldest son the
filmmaker is I learned from my mother the importance of giving credit in any type of work.

I think sometimes people do not give credit out of ignorance, they do not see the importance.

Saludos, Guadalupe
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Message 5
From: ArtfulCarol # aol.com
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:51:28 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44016] Re: A question
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"Then, second. Is it a custom or an okay thing to reuse part of an edition
for something new?"

Do it! It was yours; it is yours!
Carol Lyons
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Message 6
From: Joe Martin
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:03:05 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44017] a helping hand, so to speak
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I feel kind of like a less than skillful artist posing this question. Or, maybe it's just an old fogey question.

I selected my last computer printer because it had what I thought were some great extra functions. It reduced/enlarged, printed mirror images, and could be set for degrees of lightness or darkness of reproduction. Sadly, this printer recently died of old age and I can't find anything like it. I am back to taping my drawings backwards onto a window to trace (or just using tracing paper)... and the idea of drawing them over and over to get the size right annoys me. I suppose I could try drawing them the right size to begin with, but I often want to make a print of a little sketch I've made. Blowing up the size (sort of) saves me from my compunction to include a jillion extra details. A professor I once had said his solution to this problem was buying an overhead projector at a sale of old school equipment. So, I don't feel completely alone in my desire for an easy fix for this situation. In searching on line, I got the idea that computer programs are now used to do the functions I am missing. I asked Barbara Mason about this and she thought Photo Shop would work. My husband is the person who enjoys computers at our house and I thought he had photo shop. But he said, heck no, that's a really expensive program! So, I am wondering if the only fix is to go to a copy shop where they will look at me strangely as I copy (if they'll let me do it myself) the same little drawings over and over in different sizes.

Any suggestions that don't cost a lot of money or drag me too quickly into the modern age? Suzi SM
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Message 7
From: Marilynn Smith
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:57:31 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44018] Re: New Baren Digest (HTML) V56 #5720 (Aug 24, 2011)
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My husband wants to take all my old blocks and build a wall or divider
with them. It might be stained or colored in some manner. We haven't
gotten to that yet, we still have a garage to rebuild and a master
suite to finish, hmm. Life is full of projects at least our life is. I
have begun addressing my tigers, over a year late but they will be
"coming out" soon.

Marilynn
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Message 8
From: Lori Edwards
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:20:50 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44019] Re: a helping hand, so to speak
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I have used an overhead projector and they are great. A cheap( and annoying, cranky) little one is available at Binders Art Supply that you actually set on your drawing and it projects. My vote is for the overhead.

I'm a student so I got Photoshop with my discount but there is a program called Photoshop Elements that is pretty cool and about $80. Or you could look into Gimp which used to be free online.

But I also still find myself at the copy shop making copies sometimes.

Hope this helps
Lori

Sent from my iPhone
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Message 9
From: jujujan # verizon.net
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:21:28 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44020] Re: a helping hand, so to speak
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You can download Gimp for free and it's very user friendly. I'm finding that, so far, I'm able to figure that stuff out right away...well, with a little trying and failing I find the way. I also have Corel but haven't figured out so much of it it's not funny!Janis On 08/24/11, Joe Martin<jmartin906@aol.com> wrote:I feel kind of like a less than skillful artist posing this question. Or, maybe it's just an old fogey question. I selected my last computer printer because it had what I thought were some great extra functions. It reduced/enlarged, printed mirror images, and could be set for degrees of lightness or darkness of reproduction. Sadly, this printer recently died of old age and I can't find anything like it. I am back to taping my drawings backwards onto a window to trace (or just using tracing paper)... and the idea of drawing them over and over to get the size right annoys me. I suppose I could try drawing them the right size to begin with, but I often want to make a print of a little sketch I've made. Blowing up the size (sort of) saves me from my compunction to include a jillion extra details. A professor I once had said his solution to this problem was buying an overhead projector at a sale of old school equipment. So, I don't feel completely alone in my desire for an easy fix for this situation. In searching on line, I got the idea that computer programs are now used to do the functions I am missing. I asked Barbara Mason about this and she thought Photo Shop would work. My husband is the person who enjoys computers at our house and I thought he had photo shop. But he said, heck no, that's a really expensive program! So, I am wondering if the only fix is to go to a copy shop where they will look at me strangely as I copy (if they'll let me do it myself) the same little drawings over and over in different sizes.Any suggestions that don't cost a lot of money or drag me too quickly into the modern age? Suzi SM
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Message 10
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 18:37:49 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44021] Messages to Baren
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Bareners, please take note when you send off a message to the list. Make very sure before sending your message that you first delete the entire digest that appears under your message. That extra volume of unnecessary writing triggers majordomo to send out digests too often because it's programmed to pop off a digest whenever it reaches a pre subscribed amount of messaging. It reads all those entire digests as individual new messages. I had to archive three digests this morning, when it should have only been one.

Just remember to check and see what's under your message.

Otherwise, these have been interesting topics. Just keep it in mind to keep it simple, though, when it comes to what you send off to Baren.

~Gayle Wohlken
Archivist/Moderator
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Message 11
From: ArtfulCarol # aol.com
Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 21:43:16 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44022] Re: a helping hand, so to speak
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.
I have all those things SM mentioned in the old printer. But I have these
things and more in my scanner, HPScanjet G3010. It connects to your file
and can be printed out directly.. It is my best piece of equipment. It was
the solution and had me on a wild goose chase
.I hope this helps
Carol Lyons


In a message dated 8/24/2011 2:20:53 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
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Message 12
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 02:56:52 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44023] Re: a helping hand, so to speak
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OK all you techy computer geeks.... here is my take on this query.
Oh and for those that think I am a dinosaur .... don't get your keyboard rattling to express how stupid and old fashion you think I am....
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Message 13
From: Jan Telfer
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 03:30:30 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44024] Re: Recycling old blocks
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Hi Linda and Carole and others,

Recycling old blocks - I have seen coffee tables made up with old
blocks under glass and similarly old wooden letters made up into
tables, lamp bases, jewelry size and larger boxes, and a calligraphy
friend when she knew she had terminal cancer decorated her own coffin
with her own calligraphy... she said it was the best piece of art work
she had ever done!! Because I have requested an old packing case as my
coffin one day as I don't want refined craftsmanship just buried in the
ground I might even do the same thing with my old woodblocks!!

I do some MokuHanga teaching in Western Australia (and have done one in
South Australia) and take a couple of my smaller sets with me to
demonstrate but I'd be happy to cut up some I have never had much of an
emotional attachment to...... sorry, grammatically there it should read
" to which I have never had an emotional attachment"!!

At one of our galleries here in Perth WAust a gallery had "ancient
blocks" on display that were all a shiney black. "Touching" them they
felt like a plastic, but I haven't seen anything like it before or
since...... is there such a thing as Black wood that holds very fine
lines and even when carved looks like the same unified colour ?

With my Gocco screens I often reuse them in different layers and
configurations under different subjects and they work well that way, so
I don't see why chopping up used blocks can't be used artistically
either especially calibrating a colour block behind black and white
images could look stunning.

It does give us food for thought about recycling, reframing,
reconstructing or using them as expensive firewood for the next BBQ !!

Regards to you all.......... Kyoto and Awaji still fresh in my memories.

Jan
Perth
Australia
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Message 14
From: Betsy Holster
Date: Thu, 25 Aug 2011 05:50:06 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44025] RE: Need a volunteer
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I would love to try it if I'm not too late. Let know and I'll send my address.

Betsy

Elizabeth Holster
Associate Professor
CSUF Visual Art

From Betsy Holster * Art is where you live.


> From: ddew@capstarleasing.com
> Subject: [Baren 44012] Need a volunteer
> Date: Wed, 24 Aug 2011 10:12:46 -0400
> To: baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp
>
> In my day job, I am doing business with a manufacturer of high qualify MDF boards (cut to size).
> He has sent me a sample box of 12" x 12" x 1/4" that I have used in my western style printing. I love it!
>
> Anyone wants to try out it Moku Hanga style? I can send you a few pieces to use. 12" x 12". USA only please.
>
> Daniel Dew

Digest Appendix

Postings made on [Baren] members' blogs
over the past 24 hours ...

Subject: Freak of Nature at Monash University in Australia

Thanks to Rona Green for including me in this exchange and exhibition. I’m really looking forward to seeing the other work!

Freak of Nature


This item is taken from the blog The Block.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Woodcut Workshop Sunday 28th August.


This item is taken from the blog Against the grain.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: From Indiana and California USA
Posted by: Maria

Here are the latest arrivals for the Great City! I wish that I could share the experience of reading these newspaper articles and tid bits that come from all over the world. Really a wonderful way to waste a day!!! No wonder I can't get anything done around here...

Some quick stats:
27 blocks are home!
86 blocks are still far far away
the destiny of 4 blocks is unknown, I'm assuming they have arrived safely but time will tell...

But anyhow, here they are, if you click on the photos you can get a larger view and enjoy some of the news.

Elizabeth Busey from Bloomington, Indiana USA writes:

In the city of the world, we share our space with more than just other humans.  Living things, great and small, make the world a beautiful place.



Andrew Stone from Santa Cruz, California USA and Florence ITALY
Polluting industries would often build their smokestacks higher when forced to comply with local clean air regulations.
Higher stacks would take the pollutants farther away, resulting in cleaner local air but depositing the waste further downwind.
As we become citizens of a smaller and smaller planet it is no longer a matter of being just a bad neighbor; the waste we dump downwind now circles the globe to hit us in the face as it comes full circle around.
We need to be better neighbors; produce less waste by consuming less; and realize that throwing something "away" means tossing into your neighbor's yard--or your own.
So these are the night-discharging smokestacks of my imagination.
Be a better citizen. Consume less. Pollute less. Work for the rights of all to clean air, water, land and food.

[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog MCPP Puzzle Prints.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Author Ted Dekker is Worth Reading



[This was a summary of the original entry. The full entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog Lori Biwer-Stewart's Printmaking Blog.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.