[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Sunday, 5 July 1998 Volume 04 : Number 203 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 10:32:55 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1068] Re: Baren Digest V4 #202 Baren, April, I saw your exhibit a few days ago on the web, even before you mentioned it on the Baren, and was impressed. I need to go back and see what Dave is talking about (the baren with the wooden handle). I think I missed some of the photographs. Interested in portraiture as I am, your photograph is nice (the closeup). **** when will we see photos of Phil, James, & Carl? **** Recently I have been in touch with James and he wondered about mahogany to carve. The stuff I have been using (to making kalimbas (African thumb pianos) is only 1/4 inch thick, James, so I don't know how it would work for prints. I did carve into a piece of it to make a little image I needed for one project and I like how it cuts. There is a lot of grain that I think you would like for brushing. For the kalimbas I have been carving designs into them with my woodcutting tools and find the mahogany easy to work with. Gayle Wohlken ------------------------------ From: Ray Esposito Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 10:40:05 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1069] Re: Baren Digest V4 #202 Gayle wrote: >when will we see photos of Phil, James, & Carl? Gayle You are a glutton for punishment :-)>>> Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 09:02:00 -0700 Subject: [Baren 1070] Re: Thank you for your mail . From Hideshi Yoshida - private correspondence to Graham: > Dear Mr. Scholes , > >Thank you for your mail and I'm very happy that you enjoyed my work . >I saw your work on your site . >There were very beautiful colored prints and I thought your expression >looked like Japanese style. I'm sorry I can't explain how they look like >Japanese style. > >You wrote " This day and age there are no secrets in art. " >Yes , I understad what you mean but to tell the truth , >I can't explane the secrets in words very well . > I can't speak English very well so please forgive me even if I made a >mistake about English . > >*********************************** >Hideshi Yoshida(Tokyo JAPAN) >E-mail dodoland@silver.plala.or.jp >Web site http://www1.plala.or.jp/Hideshi/ >*********************************** Dear Hideshi. Please call me Graham. Mr. Scholes is too formal for me. I understand now that the use of the word secret was to create mystery with your public. It was not meant for us artists and you will share your secrets with us. >Don't you think " the artist having secrets " sounds mysterious and cool ? This might be the case with some uniformed public, but it is the work we create, that carries this message. I understand what you are endeavouring to achieve and can appreciate it. "However I'm afraid I can't let you know the secrets to making my work". I would suggest you change the statement on your site as I could cause people to form the wrong impression of you. Why not phrase it like so: "The creation of my images comes easily, however the mystery of them is hard for me to explain". There are several ways to say the same thing. This may help you with the problem. I wish you success with your work which as I said before is beautiful. I would like to add the words mystical and intriguing. It sure turned my crank. (An expression meaning WOW!) Graham Scholes ps I am putting a copy of this on the Baren list server to explaing to them the situation. ------------------------------ From: Phil Bivins Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 12:51:09 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1071] Re: Various April, what a super job! Your prints are truly beautiful and inspirational! Phil ------------------------------ From: Ray Esposito Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 12:58:40 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1072] Re: Thank you for your mail . Graham and Hideshi: Thank you for sharing your personal thoughts with all of us. I applaude your candor with each other and especially Graham for taking the bull by the horns and communicating with Hideshi. I applaude Hideshi for his response and willingness to share with all of us. His work is exceptional and varied and I for one look forward to hearing his thoughts in the future. And Hideshi, don't worry about your English. We'll work through it. Besides, most of us have problems with Canadian but we put up with it. :-)>>>> Have I mentioned that this is the BEST art forum ANYWHERE on the internet? Cheers Ray Esposito ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 11:31:10 -0700 Subject: [Baren 1073] Re: Thank you for your mail . Ray wrote.... >And Hideshi, don't worry about your >English. We'll work through it. Besides, most of us have problems with >Canadian but we put up with it. :-)>>>> You forgot the 'eh' ! I'm beginning to doubt that you will ever learn our language. Mind I do realize that some people have an aptitude for language so you are forgiven. Graham ------------------------------ From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 14:14:51 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1074] Re: April Showing in July Gary, Thanks so much for the thumbs up! I can't take credit for the quaility of the site, just the images! I paid my brother in prints for his work making improvements! He is much more computer literate than I am. April Vollmer ------------------------------ From: April Vollmer & John Yamaguchi Date: Sat, 4 Jul 1998 15:38:17 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1075] Responses! James, you kill me! I forwarded your response about the friggin' hummingbirds to my brother, who's responsible for the website. I e-mail him the images and he puts them up for me. The walk through was his idea. He's a geologist and uses computers all the time. I just write e-mail! I copied Gary's message to him, too...Thank you for the thumbs up! David, and Baren: The show will be up for the forseeable future, at least until I have another one person show to post. Which unfortunately, isn't so often! And as for David's questions....(he never stops!!!) The wooden baren is one I made myself from a piece of plywood cut in a circle with a handle glued on. It is just flat wood, for printing gomma. It doesn't bite into the paper to transfer cleanly like a hon baren, but sort of mushes the paper into the pigment so you get a "sesame seed" texture. I usually have two plastic squirt bottles, one for water, if the block seems to be getting dry, and one for mineral oil to squirt on a square of felt to keep the baren oiled and smooth as it rubs along the back of the paper. This way I can usually avoid having to use a back sheet. I'd love to add to the overview page in the encyclopedia...I do have a few more photographs, it would take a bit of organizing. Remember I havn't got the tomcat energy of David Bull! I'll work on it! I must admit I missed those pictures of me printing the first go around! They are hidden under my portrait on the 'artist info' page! April Vollmer ------------------------------ From: Jean Eger Date: Sat, 04 Jul 1998 23:32:36 -0700 Subject: [Baren 1076] Re: Baren Digest V4 #202 Graham wrote: >I looked at the site and was surprised to see just one stone that had all >the shapes which in itself is a good idea but you require several grits to >properly sharpen your tools. Graham, they sell this stone in three grits. When the shapes get smoothed down or out of >shape it would be very difficult to reinstate them to the proper shape. Graham, you are far advanced compared to my abilities in woodcutting. I, for one, would be most grateful if you would continue writing about the sharpening stones, including diagrams, as you offered. It is really helpful and inspiring for me. April's hanga prints are knockouts. The natural world is very meaningful to me also. Tomorrow I will go on my second wildflower identification trip to the coast. I am taking notes on an etching plate. Then I hope to make some of the wildflower images in woodcut form. Sincerely, Jean Eger ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V4 #203 ***************************