Baren Digest             Friday, 15 September 2000     Volume 12 : Number 1145


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From: "Bill H. Ritchie, Jr" <ritchie@seanet.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 07:48:13 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11293] RE: McClain's catalog charset="iso-8859-1" 

Wow! I'm pleased to be asked to "tell more."

The Journal Pages is Elaine Chandler's choice from 30 pages from my July
Journal--a kind of "time-log". It's more than a journal or diary because I
am role-playing a beginning printmaker.

Having noticed how thrilled beginners are with their starts in printmaking,
and sometimes unable to sort out the difference between drawing or painting
and printmaking, I gave myself permission to start over, for fun.

I heard someone say art is serious business, but as a beginner, those
cautions are sometimes overlooked while caught up in the spirit of
creativity, invention, discovery and imagination.

Journal Pages may become a serious print--I'd love to give it a try when I
get good enough.

Until then, I'm still trying to figure out the basics.

Thanks, Ray, for asking! How I love the limn light.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp
[mailto:owner-baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp]On Behalf Of Michelle D. Hudson
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2000 4:27 AM
To: Baren
Subject: [Baren 11292] McClain's catalog


(from Ray H in Vermont)
Congrats to all the Baren folks with woodblock prints in the June 2000
McClain's catalog that just came yesterday.Having seen many of these in
color, it was great to see them reproduced in b/w.   Bill Ritchie, your
Journal Pages is splendid--tell us more.   Ray



------------------------------

From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 08:29:07 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11294] Re: serious business charset="iso-8859-1" 

Bill wrote:
> Having noticed how thrilled beginners are with their starts in
printmaking,
> and sometimes unable to sort out the difference between drawing or
painting
> and printmaking, I gave myself permission to start over, for fun.
>
> I heard someone say art is serious business, but as a beginner, those
> cautions are sometimes overlooked while caught up in the spirit of
> creativity, invention, discovery and imagination.

Congratulations on your prints, Bill. And you have said a mouthful there!
I almost took a printmaking class again this semester because I miss the
beautiful litho stones and the whole process of lithography. I stopped cold
because I also remember that once I was no longer a beginner, there were all
these new "rules" to contend with. I then remember that the last few art
classes I took produced a constant inner critique, frustrating and mostly
negative. When I *did* have fun is when I crawled into my room and drew
something from the gut, maybe just to try out a new technique, maybe to
sketch out a different concept. I know few artists who have so much fun, no,
delirium! As I told a friend of mine, maybe academia produces "better"
artists, but at times when I have mingled with other artists I leave
depressed and with a feeling of stuffiness. What a downer! Not for me.
Maybe that's why I started to do woodcuts, here was a technique that presens
a constant mental and physical challenge, which I love, and with a process
that entails many different skills to be perfected over the years. As a
bonus, I get to play with my favorite two substances (other than chocolate)
every day, paper and wood. And, working alone, designing my own projects,
challenging myself, making mistakes, learning from observation and reading,
going in the directions where I want to be going...it all has given me the
freedom that, in my opinion, is crucial to unleashing the imagination and
creative spirit.
Health to all,
Maria

<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Maria Arango, Printmaker
Las Vegas  Nevada  USA
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
maria@mariarango.com
<><><><><><><><><><><><>


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From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 13:19:52 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11296] surprise in the mail charset="iso-8859-1" 

Oh boy! I got my Exchange #6 already.
Very exciting work, noticed many people used more delicate paper for some
nice effects. Good job everyone, I think all handled the small format
exceedingly well.
Maria

ps  A new fan of [Baren] exchanges (well, okay really just a fan of the
little string thinguie)
http://www.printmakingstudio.com/temp/cricket.jpg

<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Maria Arango, Printmaker
Las Vegas  Nevada  USA
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
maria@mariarango.com
<><><><><><><><><><><><>


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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 15:57:48 -0500
Subject: [Baren 11297] rain print 

Looking at Dave's latest Surimono print (and other Hiroshige like rain prints),
I am quite baffled as to how to cut
 such fine long lines to indicate rain. Can you elaborate a bit on how this is
done ? perhaps a closeup photo of the
actual block   may help.....how do such hair-like lines hold pigment ?

http://www.woodblock.com/surimono/2000/2-5/display_print_2-5.html

thanks...julio



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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon@mlyon.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 16:25:24 -0500
Subject: [Baren 11298] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1144 

Hi, baren-er folks!  I have completed a major overhaul to my web site, and 
added a TON of images with some rambling monologue scattered about as 
well...  Anyway, if you're having trouble getting to sleep at night or just 
looking for a sedentary approach to passing time, check it out (and I'd be 
happy to hear your thoughts...)  http://www.mlyon.com/mike/ and thanks!

Mike
mikelyon@mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 07:26:41 +0900
Subject: [Baren 11299] Re: surprise in the mail 

Maria wrote:
> Oh boy! I got my Exchange #6 already.

And just so everybody can join in the fun ... the exchange prints are
now online in the 'Exchange Gallery' ...

You can get to it from:

http://woodblock.com

Dave


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From: "Daniel L. Dew" <ddew0001@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 18:52:22 -0400
Subject: [Baren 11300] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1144 

Very nice work.  My favorite, "three Profiles".  Perfection.

dan dew



 check it out (and I'd be
> happy to hear your thoughts...)  http://www.mlyon.com/mike/ and thanks!
> 
> Mike
> mikelyon@mlyon.com
> http://www.mlyon.com


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From: "Daniel L. Dew" <ddew0001@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 18:59:21 -0400
Subject: [Baren 11301] Re: Exchange #6 

I must say, the exchange prints just get better and better!   What a
wonderful group of images.

FANTASTIC.

dan dew



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From: Kris Alder <krisalder@cc.usu.edu>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 17:10:49 -0600
Subject: [Baren 11302] Exchange #6 

Hi All!  
I just got my exchange #6 package in the mail!  WOW!  It's just like Christmas 
around here.  What an impressive body of work from this group! The variety is 
incredible.  Thanks to all who participated.  The prints are beautiful. It's 
an honor to associate with such a diverse and talented bunch of artists.

Again, thanks.
Kris

***********************
Kristine Alder, Printmaker/Art Educator
Logan, UT

<krisalder@cc.usu.edu>
<kritz85@hotmail.com>
***********************


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From: Greg Carter <artfool@bulloch.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:44:58 -0400
Subject: [Baren 11303] Re: serious business 

I have a very different perspective on academia since I am on the other
side.  I  truly love teaching printmaking on the college level because I
like showing students the incredibible tecnical and conceptual ideas that
one can get from printmaking.  How to bring  painting drawing and into
unified expression within printmaking.

I must be a bit different from some teachers because I have always tried to
bend and break any rule that a teacher has set for me.  I love printmaking
because it incurorages you not so much to break rules and create new ones.
I am one of those printers that am always trying to invent new tecniques.
I was teachingto silkscreen collographs(somtimes called silscreen
mezotintst) and came up with a new way to erase the image right in front of
the class.  This gives me such a thrill because students always think
printmaking is such an unflexible medium.

I ramble but I am just trying to say that I love to teach because I want to
help them find the adventure and descovery that comes from working with
process such as printmaking.

Greg Carter



------------------------------

From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 08:31:53 +0900
Subject: [Baren 11304] Re: rain print 

Julio wrote:
> 
> Looking at Dave's latest Surimono print (and other Hiroshige like rain prints),
> http://www.woodblock.com/surimono/2000/2-5/display_print_2-5.html
> I am quite baffled as to how to cut
>  such fine long lines to indicate rain. Can you elaborate a bit on how this is
> done ? perhaps a closeup photo of the
> actual block   may help.....how do such hair-like lines hold pigment ?

Your wish is but mine to command sir ...

***

http://woodblock.com/temporary/rainblock_01.jpg

The block in question. First surprise might be that the woodgrain runs
left to right _across_ all the lines, which are carved 'cross-grain'. In
traditional Japanese prints, the woodgrain nearly always runs the 'long'
way in the print. So the blocks for a 'horizontal' format print like
this have a horizontal wood grain.

But this isn't such a handicap for this rain carving; in fact, it makes
the job easier. When cutting very thin lines like this:

http://woodblock.com/temporary/rainblock_02.jpg

... it is far easier to control the direction of the knife on a
cross-grain cut. If these lines were _along_ the grain, the knife would
constantly be getting 'caught' in the grain and pushed off the line. 

Of course a ruler is used for this kind of work, always on at least
_one_ side of the line, and sometimes on both sides (as I did here). The
knife blade is sharpened at a special 'low' angle (not the usual highly
acute shape), in order that more of the blade is buried in the wood than
usual. This helps keep the blade on course.


> how do such hair-like lines hold pigment ?

It's not a problem. Some of these lines are next to invisible, but no
matter how thin they are, the wood still gets soaked with the liquid
black sumi and thus leaves a line when the paper is pressed onto it.


Did I chip any places?   

Yes, of course.

Instead of trying the next-to-impossible job of repairing a chip in
lines like this, one technique is to simply 'feather off' each side of
the broken point - one to the left, one to the right.  

http://woodblock.com/temporary/rainblock_03.jpg

This leaves a very natural looking short gap in the line. There are four
or five such places on this block, but I think you would have trouble
finding them, even using a magnifying glass on the print itself ...


You can also see in that photo the tiny cracks running _across_ each
line. These are the pores of the cherry wood. We're down to about the
absolute smallest line that can be carved in this wood; to go finer, we
would need something like boxwood.


> I am quite baffled as to how to cut
>  such fine long lines

I'm not sure what else I can add. There are indeed a number of ways to
assist the work, but I'm not sure if this is the right place for such a
'tutorial' (who else is doing this stuff?).  One major point to remember
is that whenever carving a thin line (_anywhere_, not just for rain), it
is vitally important to first make a 'throw-away' cut in the wood a
short distance away from the 'real' line. In other words, do the
'release' cut (the one that will take out the small 'V' shape of wood)
_first_. Then when you make the main cut, the wood on that side can
_move_ as it is sliced away, thus avoiding the situation of compressing
the wood on each side of the knife blade.

If this throw-away cut is not made, then the wood that was compressed on
each side of the knife blade will spring back later when you are
printing, and your nicely carved fine lines will all expand ...

Another point to remember is that it is also important to keep the
_flat_ side of the knife against the line, not the bevelled side. This
is also to avoid undue pressure on the delicate line.

Dave


------------------------------

From: Cucamongie@aol.com
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:30:00 EDT
Subject: [Baren 11305] Exchange 6 

Hi all, I've just been viewing the Exhchange 6 prints online, of course jealous of those who get to see them "in the flesh" and wishing I was part of this exchange, what a wonderful collection of prints!  When I have time, I'll go back there so I can comment on them individually.  I do have one question though, what is meant by the dimensions of the prints being 1x by 2x?  what is this translated into inches?  I like the long narrow format, I think it's interesting.
congratulations to those who participated.
best wishes
Sarah

------------------------------

From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2000 09:59:50 +0900
Subject: [Baren 11306] Re: Exchange 6 format 

Sarah wrote:
> I do have one question though, what is meant by the dimensions of the prints being 1x by 2x?  what is this translated into inches?  

The specified dimensions were: 125mm x 250mm (5 inches x 10 inches)

But what I meant by '1x by 2x' was simply that one dimension is twice as
long as the other. This is relatively unusual in things like prints and
pictures, which more commonly have an x/y relationship somewhat nearer
to the 'golden mean' ...

Prints that are exactly square, or a multiple of squares, can be
difficult to 'fill' with an image ... although Mike Lyon won't agree! 
:-)

> I like the long narrow format, I think it's interesting.

Yes, I too think it turned out very well, and I am going to explore this
in some of my own work in the future.

Dave

P.S. This might be as good a place as any to remind future Exchange
participants (include #7, which is currently under construction), that
you must send _31_ prints when you send your submission, not 30. The
'extra' print is for the [Baren] archives, which are coming together at
the Portland Art Museum ...


------------------------------

From: Aqua4tis@aol.com
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:15:30 EDT
Subject: [Baren 11307] Re: Exchange #6 

hi everyone
   i just finished looking at exchange 6    WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    
you guys rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!
your prints are so gorgeous!!    
   i also recieved my prize from the silly season contest         thank you 
dave    the calendar is beautiful  
   between the calendar and exchange 6 im more determined than ever to learn 
how to do hanga
bravo everyone
georga

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:44:28 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11309] Re: serious schooling 

You must have had a unfortunate experience....
Not all teachers....academia ... are that way.
The good ones who have broad knowledge and experience are not afraid 
of telling all (no secrets approach) and will not teach in a 
restrictive way.

I am known for an expession when I taught watercolours.
Here's the rule..... Now, go and break it but make the piece work.
Innovate... experiment... create....  Don't copy.  (and sign your name to it)

You should take from the best school and teacher available.

It reminds me of a happening at a local fair here.
I was looking at all the stuff and not much caught my attention until 
this one artist who had a few pieces that showed promise.
The assorted mediums and styles indicated to me he was experimenting.
I asked him where he had taken his schooling....
Answer...... I am self taught.
I said to him .....
Think of how much better you could be if you took some schooling..... 
and went on to suggest some of Canada's best.
I wonder if he ever will?

Graham

>  >Congratulations on your prints, Bill. And you have said a mouthful there!
>>I almost took a printmaking class again this semester because I miss the
>>beautiful litho stones and the whole process of lithography. I stopped cold
>>because I also remember that once I was no longer a beginner, there were all
>>these new "rules" to contend with. I then remember that the last few art
>>classes I took produced a constant inner critique, frustrating and mostly
>>negative. When I *did* have fun is when I crawled into my room and drew
>  >something from the gut,

------------------------------

From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon@mlyon.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 21:48:32 -0500
Subject: [Baren 11310] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1144 

Yeah, baby, Yeah!!!

At 10:00 PM 09/14/2000 +0900, you wrote:
>and Graham (nope , do not have a Mac, have an IBM)
>We will look into all of these and hopefully produce scanned masterpieces.
>Well, nice images anyway.
>
>Jeanne N.

mikelyon@mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com

------------------------------

From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 19:47:48 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11311] Re: Exchange 6 format 

>Prints that are exactly square, or a multiple of squares, can be
>difficult to 'fill' with an image ... although Mike Lyon won't agree!
>:-)

I sure can't agree with that statement.

Graham



------------------------------

From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:05:29 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11312] Exchange 6 

And the winner is......

Where the heck is that envelope.

Graham

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From: B Mason <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2000 20:51:59 -0700
Subject: [Baren 11313] Help needed in New Orleans 

Hey friends,
Anyone on this list in New Orleans or know someone who lives there? My
sister needs help at a national conference where she is selling her
childrens play therapy fabric toys October 11-14. Wed-Sat. at the
Fairmont Hotel downtown by the French Quarter. Sorry to put this on
Baren, please respond off list. Thanks so much.
Barbara M

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End of Baren Digest V12 #1145
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