[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest              Sunday, 15 February 1998      Volume 02 : Number 070

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From: Jean Eger <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 14:52:01 -0800
Subject: [Baren 392] Re: Baren Digest V2 #69 

Dave wrote:
> I wonder though, what people in the west generally think about the sort
> of thing that I am doing to make a living - copying old prints and
> selling them.  I do put my name on every one so there is no question of
> 'forgery', but I was criticized once a number of years ago for
> 'appropriation' - for stealing these aspects of Japanese culture for my
> own selfish use.  I wonder about this ...

Sometimes there is jealousy involved, especially if one is doing everything in public
and becomes well known.  But people have to make a living somehow.  International
relations are important to everyone on the planet.  Sharing ideas is important but it
is also good to strengthen regional art and not to reduce everything to the lowest
common denominator.  My mistake when I ran a small neighborhood newspaper for 10
years was not charging enough for the ads and for the art work involved--in selling
myself short.  I didn't have enough self-confidence, and thought I should have years
of training in order to ask a decent price for my work.  Part of it was a feminine
fear of success.  Well, using a different name is a common thing in the U.S. and does
not imply dishonesty.  For example, women were not taken seriously in the art world
for years.  They couldn't sell their work.  So some began using men's names to sign
their work.  That is very ordinary and no one thinks anything about it.   Many
businesses have a name which they have trademarked.  In the U.S. it's called, "DBA"
or doing business as.  Probably your papermaker had the right to do business as that
name.  In the U.S. a small business is required to publish a fictitious business name
statement in the local newspaper...all of which I did years ago with high hopes, but
which did not bear fruit.  A small business failure is not a matter to be ashamed
of.  My small newspaper disappeared in the wake of the recession, when each business
asked me to call them each month to renew the ad, instead of just running the ads
steadily, which they had been doing.  They were suffering too, I guess. That was a
long time ago.    However, on the upside, Crown Point Press recently had a nice
retrospective at the Achenbach  Center for Graphic Arts, part of the Fine Arts
Museums of San Francisco.  Crown Point has been crediting the printers of the prints
as well as the artist in the last few years.  In their recently published book, "Ink,
Paper, Metal and Wood," by Kathan Brown (Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 1996) the
printers' names are placed on a credit line along with the artist's name.  They do
the same for the prints they send to Japan and China to be cut and printed, I
believe.  I say, I believe, because I am really not all that expert on what Crown
Point is doing, having only taken a tour through there with a student group about
three times.  Magnolia Press in Oakland makes paper.  They demonstrated the use of
the long block to pound the paper fibers, but no one in that student group wanted to
work that hard to do it.
    My friend Joel Beck advised me that, if I copied a great master, to sign it Jean
Eger after so and so.  For example, Jean Eger after Degas.  That was when I was
copying Degas pastels to learn how to do pastels.
    I think your copying of Japanese prints, if that is what you are doing, shows
great respect and reverence for their ancient culture.  That is very apparent in your
web site.  Anyone would be proud to own one of your prints, David.

Jean

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From: Jean Eger <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 21:29:54 -0800
Subject: [Baren 393] Re: Baren Digest V2 #69 

Dear Dave,
Ray has criticized my writing off the list and I thanked him for his suggestions.
However, I do not have time for this endeavor and do not have the expertise thst you
guys are sharing about woodcutting.  So I will just sit back and watch you guys have
at it and leave me out of the fray.  Good luck with your prints.  Don't let anyone
intimidate you into giving up your art work, Dave.

Jean Eger

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 23:51:23 -0800
Subject: [Baren 394] Re: Aging prints, etc. 

 Dave wrote,
>I wonder though, what people in the west generally think about the sort
>of thing that I am doing to make a living - copying old prints and
>selling them.  I do put my name on every one so there is no question of
>'forgery', but I was criticized once a number of years ago for
>'appropriation' - for stealing these aspects of Japanese culture for my
>own selfish use.  I wonder about this ...

Well you can count your lucky stars you don't live here in Canada Dave. It
has been the topic of debate for quite a few years and it as evolved to the
point that many many artists do not practice this any more.
The institutions had stopped accepting any work that bordered on
appropriation be it writing or visual. It has even got down to the point
that a white person cannot write about or use indian history in their work.


The public is now following suit and if you do anything that is making use
of the aboriginal elements of design you are dead in the water.
I have a close friend who did Westcoast Indian masks in a unique and
totally different concept of imagery he is no longer doing paintings and
not in the fine art field.  I have tried to get him into other kind of
imagery but he has lost all desire to move on and as a result has resorted
back to doing craft and sign painting.  The craft is knick knak things.
I know of several others locally who were making a killing with their
aboriginal imagery living, high with big cars and boats.  Not any more.


Your new project sound good and I will be in touch with you soon.

Graham

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End of Baren Digest V2 #70
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