--- Go to the Opening Page of the [Baren] web site ---

Message 1
From: "Needham, Erin (Inland)"
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 08:45:18 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23705] New member into + questions
Send Message: To this poster

Hi All,

I'm new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself. I've just finished my
MFA, working mostly in photography and digital media, and am looking forward
to getting my hands back into my artmaking. There really is something to be
said for sore hands and messes to be cleaned up. I'm also interested in
doing art that doesn't harm the environment or my health, so woodblock
printing seems to fit the bill.

I've been reading through archives and other resources on the Baren Forum
website. It's an amazing compilation. I've also been looking at the print
exchange archives and am quite impressed with the quality of work.

My first attempt was a two-color linocut Christmas card. It was crude but
successful, even with Speedball water soluble inks. Actually, since I have
a supply of birch plywood scraps from work, I tried carving in that first.
It was terrible. I couldn't get any detail and it kept splintering. If
anyone has any suggestions how to use plywood more successfully I would love
to hear them. By the way, I noticed that for the woodcut print exchanges
that you make an exception and accept linoleum. Is Resingrave okay, too, if
I decide to try engraving?

Finally, having once been a painter, I've had it beaten into my head to
never use oil paints on non-primed surfaces because of the acid that forms
during the oil's oxidation. Can anybody explain how oil-based ink prints
manage to survive without this problem?


Thanks,
Erin

p.s. 36, married, 3 cats, 1 dog, live in Delaware

• [Back to message index]

Message 2
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 09:19:05 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23706] Re: New member into + questions
Send Message: To this poster

At 08:45 AM 12/19/2003 -0600, Erin Needham wrote:
>Is Resingrave okay, too, if I decide to try engraving?

Yes. Keep in mind that our exchange prints are 'supposed to be' woodblock
prints. As a practical matter, we have (so far) not rejected a
submission. Although the vast majority of exchange prints have been
genuine woodblock prints, there have been quite an amazing number of
different techniques and materials employed, but only a few really seem to
have crossed the line by having minimal relief-printed content.

And WELCOME to Baren!

-- Mike

Mike Lyon (Baren Exchange Manager)
http://mlyon.com

• [Back to message index]

Message 3
From: "Gilda Zimmerling"
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 7:33:10 -0800
Subject: [Baren 23707] exchange 18
Send Message: To this poster

Suzi,
I am sure you are not the only one who feels that way. As coordinator for exchange 18 I found that it was not the cases that made the determining factor on holding up the exchange but the desire to send off a complete exchange with 30 participants. As with each exchange there is no way of knowing who and how many people might be late. I think this exchange had the added pressure that may of the members were also in the calendar exchange and that this is a busier time of year for everyone. I would like to apologize and also thank everyone for their patience.

--- Gilda Zimmerling

• [Back to message index]

Message 4
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 09:13:01 -0800 (PST)
Subject: [Baren 23708] oil and wood
Send Message: To this poster

Erin,
I think there is a difference between paint and ink...the linseed oil binder in etching ink has been cooked until it bears little resembelance to the linseed oil in oil paint and with litho ink the binder has been cooked until it is varnish. Also the ink is on the block a short time and then transferred to the paper, so little time for oxidation to take place. It is often modified with extenders, such as setswell or easy wipe or miracle gel or plate oil, all these add a type of oil to the ink, changing it even further from oil paint. The oil in the ink itself tends to seal the wood after a printing, sort of like tung oil on furniture. There are a lot of "oily" people on this list, but I hope you will try printing with waterbased inks also using rice paste as a binder. Speedball ink gets a lot of flack, but it does work and our very own Dan Dew uses it exclusively. He rolls it on, similar to the way you would use oil based ink.

For waterbased printing the woodblock surface is often sealed a bit with varnish and thinner, or with some other sealer. You would think this would inhibit the printing with waterbased ink, but as the sealer is very thin it is absorbed into the wood, making it a bit stronger and does really not remain on the surface. Sealing or not sealing is a personal preferance, and depends on the type of wood you carve. Hardwoods, like cherry or maple do not need it...plywood can certainly use it. To help your plywood, take a mixture of 1/2 spar varnish (marine varnish, trade name here is McCloskys and available at home depot) and 1/2 thinner, wipe this on the wood with a cloth, let dry completely. Do both sides of the block. Do in a ventilated space. Sand the block with 600 sandpaper and a bit of water when it is dry, until it is very smooth. (you should also have sanded it before the varnish stuff)
when you carve , keep your tools really, really sharp and go slowly, try to carve across the grain as much as you can to avoid splinters. Do not carve deeply on the first cut. If you do not know of Gamsolv, made by Gamblin Ink you should. It is the safest thinner around, also the most expensive. They say the only way to get it into your system is to spray it into the air and breathe it, as it won't go through the pores in skin....I would still wear gloves. Safe also seems to cost more as it is $28 a gallon here in Oregon and the factory is only a few miles from me.

There are a lot of people on this list with way more wood experience than myself, so you should try different wood. The all shina plywood is what most people start with and many use it all the time. It is soft and carves fairly easily but will not hold fine independent lines. It will hold lots of detail, but a single thin stand alone line in it can be hard to achieve, this is why people seal it to make it a bit stronger. You can buy all shina plywood from McClains printmaking (www.imcclains.com) in Oregon and of course all else from our own Baren Mall. Wood is just too expensive to ship from Japan, although we do have a few customers who order it in full sheets. It is a real commitment as it is several hundred dollars a sheet.
The single most important thing is sharp tools....I finally learned but I chewed up a lot of wood and dulled a lot of tools before I finally saw the sharpening light!
Welcome to Baren! Good luck!
Best to you,
Barbara Mason, Baren mall manager


Finally, having once been a painter, I've had it beaten into my head to never use oil paints on non-primed surfaces because of the acid that forms during the oil's oxidation. Can anybody explain how oil-based ink prints manage to survive without this problem?

Erin









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

• [Back to message index]

Message 5
From: Mike Lyon
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 12:12:42 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23709] Nancy Osadchuk -- 18(a)
Send Message: To this poster

Nancy Osadchuk -- please get in touch with me about your prints for
exchange #18(a) ?

Thanks!

-- Mike

Mike Lyon
http://mlyon.com

• [Back to message index]

Message 6
From: "Needham, Erin (Inland)"
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 15:19:21 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23710] Thanks!
Send Message: To this poster

Thanks so much...

Mike: Thanks for your welcome.

John: I appreciate hearing your experience with resingrave. I anticipate
my first projects being woodcuts but was curious for future reference.
Delaware is only 96 miles long so everybody is pretty near everybody else.
That said, I'm five miles south of Dover Air Force Base which puts me about
45 minutes south of your cousins. That's a fair distance in Delaware terms.

Barbara: Thanks for your detailed response and for putting my mind at ease
about the nature of oil inks. I'm glad to hear that someone as accomplished
as Dan accomplishes what he does with Speedball inks. However, I am eager
to try water-based rice/pigment inks. Thanks for your suggestions for
getting plywood to work for me. You can be sure that I'll be going to the
hardware store as soon as I have a chance. I actually have some Gamsol. I
have preferred Gamblin oil paints because of their emphasis on quality and
decreasing toxicity in their products. I didn't realize that they make ink
as well.

Erin

• [Back to message index]

Message 7
From: "Maria Arango"
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 13:35:34 -0800
Subject: [Baren 23711] birch
Send Message: To this poster

Regarding cutting birch without splintering. The main thing that helps
is super-sharp tools. Hardwoods are a bit more forgiving in this regard,
since they resist splintering well past the point where a tool should
have been honed.
Should also help to sand and seal the birch with a varnish or wipe it
with linseed oil prior to cutting (let dry).

I still cut on birch once in a while for larger works and just to remind
me why I prefer cherry and maple. I sand to 600 but don't seal, just oil
and go.

Happy softwood,
Maria

• [Back to message index]

Message 8
From: Julio.Rodriguez # walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 19 Dec 2003 17:15:56 -0600
Subject: [Baren 23712] International Exlibris Competition "The sun and the moon"
Send Message: To this poster

I thought the following post might be of interest to some of our
members.....
Welcome to new member Erin and all others.......

thanks....Julio Rodriguez
----- Forwarded by Julio Rodriguez/Corp/Walgreens on 12/19/2003 05:13 PM
-----


pablo delfini
12/19/2003 05:55 PM
Please respond to pablodelfini


To: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com
cc:
Subject: International Exlibris Competition "The sun and the moon"



--

----- Message from "pablo delfini" on Fri, 19 Dec
2003 19:11:46 +0000 -----
To:
pablodelfini@sinectis.com.ar
Subject:
International Exlibris Competition "The sun and the moon"
Thank you for spreading this summons!


International Ex libris Competition
"The sun and the moon"
Fine Arts Museum Claudio León Sempere

Colón 581 ? Burzaco (1852) ? Buenos Aires ? Argentina
Teléfono: 4299-7279 ? Email: musarte@xlnet.com.ar

The Fine Arts Museum Claudio León Sempere of Burzaco, Buenos Aires, Argentina, organise an International Ex-libris
Competition on the subject "The sun and the moon".

Participation Rules:

Art.1- This Competition is open to artist from all over the world. No fee is
required for participation.

Art. 2- The artists are invited to submit one or more ex libris on the theme: "The sun and the moon".

Art. 3- All works should include, integrated with the image, the words Ex libris, or an equivalent, together with the NAME of a living person or
institution which the ex libris is dedicated.

Art .4- The artists may submit a maximun of 3 ex libris. Three prints of each ex
libris submitted must be sent, of which two will be incorporated into
Museum C.L.Sempere and Argentinian Museum of the Ex libris, and one will
be used for exhibition purposes.

Art 5- The maximun size of the printed surface must not be more than 13 cm by
13 cm, and the support (paper) no more than A4 (DIN).

Art. 6- All graphic arts techniques will be trated equally: xylography,
chalcography, lithography, silkscreen, CAD, mixed media. MONOPRINTS,
PHOTOCOPIES AND PHOTOGRAPHIES WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

Art. 7 - Each print of each ex libris submitted must be signed by the artist and
bear legibly inscribed on the back with pencil: the artist´name, address,
date of birth, the technique used and the year of creation.
The deadline for submitting works is July 1 st, 2004.
Material for the competition must be sent to the following address:

Museo Claudio L. Sempere
Ex-libris
Colón 581
Burzaco (1852)
Provincia de Buenos Aires ? ARGENTINA

Art. 8- The Opening of exhibition will be in september 2004, month of the Museum
anniversary.

Art. 9- The Jury will be composed of representatives of Argentinian Ex libris
Centres and printmakers.
1°, 2°, 3° and Mentions : Certificates and Portfolios of original prints
of argentinian printmakers.

Art. 10-A catalogue will be produced and sent to all participating artists at the
close of the exhibition.

Art. 11- Together with the Ex libris, the following form duly fill in must be
sent :

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


International Ex libris Competition "The sun and the moon"-Museo
C.L.Sempere


Artist'name:___________________________________________________

Address:______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

Phone:_______________________________________________________

Email:_______________________________________________________

Date and place of
birth:________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________

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

Concurso Internacional de Ex libris
"El sol y la luna"
Museo de Bellas Artes Claudio León Sempere

Colón 581 ? Burzaco (1852) ? Buenos Aires ? Argentina
Teléfono: 4299-7279 ? Email: musarte@xlnet.com.ar

El Museo de Bellas Artes Claudio León Sempere de la ciudad de Burzaco, Buenos Aires, Argentina, organiza formalmente un
Concurso Internacional de Ex-libris sobre el tema "El sol y la luna".

REGLAMENTO

Art.1- Este concurso está abierto a los artistas de todo el mundo. NO hay tasa
de inscripción.

Art. 2- Los artistas están invitados a envíar uno o más Ex libris sobre el tema:
"El sol y la luna".

Art. 3- Los ex-libris deberán incluir, integradas con la imagen, las palabras: Ex Libris, o un equivalente, junto con el NOMBRE de la persona o Institución a quien está dedicado el
Ex libris.

Art .4- Se pueden enviar como máximo 3 ex-libris diferentes, con 3 pruebas de
cada uno, de las cuales dos serán incorporadas al Archivo del Museo
Sempere y al Museo Argentino del Ex libris y una con fines de Exposición.

Art 5- La superficie impresa del ex-libris, no deberá superar los 130 mm por
130 mm. El soporte (papel), tendrá como máximo el formato A4 (210x297 mm).

Art. 6- Los ex-libris pueden estar realizados en cualquier técnica gráfica
conocida: xilografía, calcografía, litografía, serigrafía,
C.A.D.(digital), técnicas mixtas. QUEDAN EXPLÍCITAMENTE EXCLUIDOS
MONOCOPIAS, FOTOGRAFIAS Y FOTOCOPIAS.

Art. 7- Cada prueba deberá estar firmada por el autor. En el dorso y en lápiz
colocar : nombre y apellido del artista; su dirección, año de nacimiento;
técnicas utilizadas y el año de creación de la obra.
La fecha límite para el envío es el 1° de julio de 2004. Las obras serán enviadas a la dirección siguiente:

Museo Claudio L. Sempere
Ex-libris
Colón 581
Burzaco (1852)
Provincia de Buenos Aires ? ARGENTINA

Art. 8- Todos los Ex-libris recibidos serán expuestos en el mes de setiembre de
2004, mes aniversario del Museo de Bellas Artes Claudio León Sempere.

Art. 9- Un jurado integrado por representantes de Sociedades de Exlibris de
Argentina y de grabadores hacedores de Exlibris, establecerá la selección
de los 1°, 2° y 3° Premio, además de Menciones. A los artistas ganadores
se les entregará Diplomas y una carpeta de grabados de reconocidos
grabadores argentinos.

Art. 10-Un catálogo con reproducciones de los exlibris será enviado a cada
participante luego de la exposición.

Art. 11- Junto con los Exlibris, deberá enviarse la siguiente ficha :

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

Concurso Internacional de Ex libris "El sol y la luna"
Museo Claudio L. Sempere

Apellido y nombre:______________________________________________________

Dirección:_____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Teléfono:_____________________________________________________

Email:________________________________________________________

Fecha y lugar de
nacimiento:____________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

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

Nuevo MSN Messenger Una forma rápida y divertida de enviar mensajes

• [Back to message index]

End of [Baren] Digest