[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 8 April 1998 Volume 03 : Number 120 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dan Wasserman Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 09:26:58 -0700 Subject: [Baren 569] My two bits about framing.... Re. the on-going disc. of Ray exhibition idea. I have always preferred to exhibit works on paper simply pinned to the wall rather than framed behind glass... it seems more natural to me. The corners to be pinned can be reinforced with paper or linen pasted to the back and care can be used to reuse the same pin holes over and over. I have found I prefer wire brads, esp. brass, to the more distracting architects' *T* pins. When raw hanging like this is rejected by the artist I have found mounting in an acrylic pass-par-tout which is secured to the wall with *L* shaped pins. The pass-par-tout is a mounting of a matted print between a backing board and a glass or plexi sheet bound together with cloth or foil tape in place of a frame. The work is sandwhiched between the glass and the cardboard or foamcore backing which are then taped tightly together... the corners of the tape are easily mitered with a razor blade... the tape is sold at photography supply shops since it was used before the advent of plastic slide mounts. I actualy prefer to use balsa *spacer* strips rather than a matte to keep the work away from the glazing... these spacer strips end up hidden behind the tape. Regards, ~dan ------------------------------ From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 11:39:56 -0400 Subject: [Baren 570] "Basic-G" Very interested in anti-mould ideas! I don't put it in the printing paper itself, but in the damp blotters above and below the damp paper....so it shouldn't effect the printing paper too much. Where do you get the stuff? I get methyl cellulose (and formalin) at TALAS, a library and archival supply store at 568 Broadway, NY 10012, 212-219-0770. They have a catalogue for $5, lots of interesteing book making supplies... methyl cellulose is about $13 a pound. Ray sounds like he's got a lot of energy! I'm sure it will be more trouble than anticipated, it always is....However, I don't mind if work sits for a while between shows in the trunk of his car while he takes care of the kids! I'm happy to keep it simple and have a standard size frame...what about matting? It is easier to matt stuff to a particular frame size than to have all the prints the same size. It makes a little bigger package, but prints would be easier to handle.... April Vollmer ------------------------------ From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 11:56:16 -0400 Subject: [Baren 571] No Tape! I don't like tape showing...but just acrylic over the prints, tacked to the wall with those L-nails could be simpler than putting together frames... April Vollmer ------------------------------ Subject: [Baren 572] [Duplicate message] ------------------------------ From: Blueman Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 11:35:06 -0500 Subject: [Baren 573] Re: Baren Digest V3 #119 Baren, Gary wrote: > Welcome to the group Gayle, from one of the more silent members, but > attentive. I enjoyed your write up and look forward to your participation. Thank you, Gary. I was never so surprised as to find myself on Dave's Encyclopedia site. I had intended to just send those so Dave could see my style since I don't have a website for anyone to visit. I've been aglow all day. Shane is my son, by the way, and Alois is a good friend from high school days (back in the late 50's he sat behind me in English class. He's quite a good poet, one of the best in the area as a matter of fact). I think everyone knows who James Dean is. I made that one for a young man who has raised the late actor to a monumental stature. ***** Has anyone here used Yamakoto sticking paste. I ordered some from Aiko because the ad said it was used in woodblock printing. Now I'm not sure what I bought. By the way, I hope I spelled that right. In a couple weeks I'll have the stuff I need to start a hanga style print. I am nervous. Gayle Wohlken ------------------------------ From: Ray Esposito Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 13:39:52 -0400 Subject: [Baren 574] Re: "Basic-G" April wrote: >Ray sounds like he's got a lot of energy! I'm sure it will be more trouble >than anticipated, it always is Of this I have no doubt >....However, I don't mind if work sits for a while between shows in the > trunk of his car while he takes care of the kids! PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE::::: let me stress that this would NEVER, NEVER, NEVER happen. Prints would be in my trunk ONLY for the trip from the secure storage to the show site and back. If I gave a different impression, It was never intended. I have too much respect for all of you not to do everything to protect an artist's work entrusted to me. >I'm happy to keep it simple and have a standard size frame...what >about matting? It is easier to matt stuff to a particular frame size than >to have all the prints the same size. It makes a little bigger package, but >prints would be easier to handle.... Again, I must not be writing clear and apologize to the group. This is exactly what I was talking about. Maryland Printmakers requires same size prints but recall I wrote I did not like this idea and preferred coming up with a standard frame everyone could agree on and than leave it up to the artist to select the print size. April, thank you for your kind thoughts and giving me the opportunity to clear up my lousy writing. Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: Ray Esposito Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 13:59:09 -0400 Subject: [Baren 575] Re: No Tape! <199804061300.WAA27248@ml.asahi-net.or.jp> Dan wrote: >I don't like tape showing...but just acrylic over the prints, tacked to the >wall with those L-nails could be simpler than putting together frames... There is no one on Baren for whom I have more respect than Dan but this idea is full of holes (pun intended). 1. Can I guarantee that I would use the same holes for each show? At the end of the exhibition schedule the works would look like swiss cheese. DO you want people to see your art like that? I don't. 2. Would some sites not require framing anyhow? And if you are going to need a frame for some, does it not make sense to just go ahead and design a system using metal frames? The cost of just two frames, for works that will be traveling for years is minimal. 3. Where Dan comments about his dislike for framing behind glass, I agree. The prints can be left open or framed behind something other than glass. Glass can break and damage the prints. Glass is heavy and no matter how well I design the packaging, the possibility of its breaking in my trunk are good and I do not want that. (When not on exhibition however, the prints would always be in a separate container) My preference is behind plexiglass. Although it scratches easily, I am very reluctant to expose art to the free whims of the public. While plexiglas may not be the best solution, my number one concern AT ALL TIMES, is the protection of participants art. April, have you visited Dan's web page? Most fascinating art site on the web. Dan covers everything and I mean EVERYTHING. Unfortunately when I went over there to get you the address, I got an AOL error message. Dan, are you hiding? Yahoo still gives the AOL address but I get nothing but error messages. Would you please give April your address and if you have moved from AOL, how about letting your friends know. Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: julio.rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 7 Apr 1998 15:15:31 -0600 Subject: [Baren 576] Ray's idea Hi Ray........count me in for the show. I don't have a solution to the issues relating to framing & matting, but I will go along with whatever the group decides. I am more concerned about the "pricing" of the works. I think it's a great idea for Brassring to benefit from this and I for one would be happy to donate a larger percentage than what you mentioned earlier. I am more concerned with the wide range of prices that different Baren members command for their work. The differences in $$$ between Grahams, Dan, Dave's and Matt's work is quite a wide spectrum. (If I remember correctly Dave prices his prints low compare to the others mentioned because of his "subscription series"). I understand that the main purpose is to expose woodblock prints and Baren me mbers to the public but how would this wide "range" of prices (and possibly print quality) work be received by the public ? ps. I will be putting up a simple web-site soon with the sole purpose of being able to display and share my work with fellow Baren members. As soon as is up I will share details. Thanks. julio ------------------------------ From: Ray Esposito Date: Tue, 07 Apr 1998 20:02:34 -0400 Subject: [Baren 577] Re: Ray's idea Julio wrote: >Hi Ray Julio, Your timing is impeccable. >........count me in for the show. I don't have a solution to the issues >relating to framing & matting, but I will go along with whatever the group >decides. I dashed over to Pearl's (anyone ever see 300 pounds dash?) to get some supplies and decided to talk to their framing department. They suggested poster frames. My initial reaction was most likely like yours. Forget it. But then I began thinking about it. Three points we need to consider about framing. 1. It has to as easy as possible for me to set up in the shortest period of time. 2. It has to provide adequate protection to the work through a lot of handling. 3. It's cost has to be reasonable. The frames I looked at were not bad at all. Price is dependent on size but run around $7.50 each. If each artist contributes two prints as I would like, total framing is just $15 plus tax. In addition, I could buy all of the frames at one time, eliminating the problem of you having to ship them to me, further saving money. Comments? >I am more concerned about the "pricing" of the works. I think it's a >great idea for Brassring to benefit from this and I for one would be happy to >donate a larger percentage than what you mentioned earlier. Thanks for the support but 10% will be the maximum. >I am more concerned with the wide range of prices that different Baren >members command for their work. The differences in $$$ between Grahams, >Dan, Dave's and Matt's work is quite a wide spectrum. (If I remember >correctly Dave prices his prints low compare to the others mentioned >because of his "subscription series"). I understand that the main purpos is to >expose woodblock prints and Baren members to the public but how would >this wide "range" of prices (and possibly print quality) work be received by >the public? This is a point for major discussion and I will not pretend to offer the definitive answer here but will respond. First, pricing is a personal matter for the artist. If David wants to charge $88 a print and Graham, $1,500, that is their business. The public will buy or not buy based on many factors, part of which is price. I do not feel it is a plus or minus. Second about David. If David, or anyone else for that matter, does not wish to place a specific price on his work, return to my original post on the subject where I wrote, a NFS (not for sale) tag will be placed next to the art. Simple. Someone will ask, "but doesn't this take away from the kids?" As much as I appreciate the kind thoughts, would everyone do me a favor and allow me to decid what is best for the kids. If 100% of participating artists decided that the traveling exhibition should be just that, an exhibition only and that no works are to be sold, I WOULD STILL WANT TO DO IT. My first love is the kids My second love is art My third love is....well, we'll forget about her... My fourth love is wood blocks. Doing this is as much for me as it is for the kids. Believe me, I have not calculated art sales into the Society's budget. Actually, the more I write about this the more I like the idea of no pricing.. (pause) Forget pricing. We WILL NOT offer art for sale. It will be an exhibition series only. I will provide artists names and addresses (including e-mail and web sites if applicable) for all locations so that if someone wanted to buy a work or learn more about a particular artist. If anyone thinks a share should go to the kids, I would suggest we use the honor system. If you make a sale as a direct result of the exhitbition, you may, or you may not, decide to make a contibution to the Society. That contribution being whatever you think is fair. If you are happy, I will be happy. This should make everyone happy. And it will decrease my workload, answer concerns such as Julio's and solves many other little problems such as how to deal with museum's. If there is a zero commercial component to the shows, it will make my life a lot easier. Yeah...the more I think about it, the more I like it. That's it. I have made a decision. Now, let's move on. Comments? >ps. I will be putting up a simple web-site soon with the sole purpose of being >able to display and share my work with fellow Baren members. As soon as is >up I will share details. Thanks. We are all looking forward to it. Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Wed, 08 Apr 1998 17:41:51 +0900 Subject: [Baren 578] Encyclopedia update ... Are you getting bored with my repeated 'update' notices ...? This one's a bit different - and I need some feedback. I've put up the first chapter of the first of the 'old' books in the library section. For my first choice, I decided not to go with something about the Japanese techniques, but with something that seems to have application to what a lot of you seem to be doing. Although it was written by a man doing linoleum printing, his methods apply directly to woodblock printing too. His section on registration is confusing, but his section on how he builds up the image (without outlines) is quite interesting. As for that feedback: Up until now, _every_ Encyclopedia page has had that little blue 'navigation' notice up at the top of the page, but I found that I wanted more screen room for the book text, so didn't use that box this time. Please let me know if the 'navigation' between ... the Encyclopedia outline - the Library section - the book Contents page - and the book itself ... is at all confusing. I'm going to be putting a lot of books in there, and I'd like to get a good stable format worked out before I waste a lot of work ... Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V3 #120 ***************************