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

Baren Digest             Tuesday, 8 September 1998     Volume 04 : Number 268

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@pantek.com>
Date: Mon, 07 Sep 1998 09:31:41 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1542] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

Just want to welcome you Daniel and thank you for your update on
traditional Japanese woodblock printmaking as it is being practiced (or
not, in this case) in Japan.  This is new information to me.  It makes one 
appreciate what the few of you are doing to keep the craft alive.

* * * * * 

Regarding Graham's statement that he is glad Ray is back and at it 
full tilt, Ray said:
> I have a feeling you are in a very small minority here.  :-)>>>>

Ray!!  What kind of remark is that?????!!!!  I see you're smiling
through your long beard, so I assume you're joking, but don't you
think we all are challenged by  you at "full tilt"?    

Gayle Wohlken

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From: Ray Esposito <brassring@brassring.org>
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998 15:56:40 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1543] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

Gayle wrote:
>Ray!!  What kind of remark is that?????!!!!  I see you're smiling
>through your long beard, so I assume you're joking, but don't you
>think we all are challenged by  you at "full tilt"?    

Gayle

So you noticed the beard is getting a wee bit long.  I am letting it go to
ten arrows (about around my belly-button) and then will think about
trimming it. 

Actually, letting the beard go is my mid-life protest against society.
Touching 60 while still feeling like 37, is giving me the willies even
though I am looking forward to it.  Moving to a small conservative town of
just 5,000 should be interesting.  Besides, it gives the locals something
to talk about over the cracker barrel.  

BTW-the old codgers really do get together every morning at the coffee shop
to discuss what is going on in town and talk about people.  If you stop in
around noon for lunch, they are still there.  I just want to bring some
light to their lives.  I will be something new for them to talk about.
When visiting Snow Hill the past few times, I loved the reaction when I
stopped it for coffee.  The stares and whispers were great.  Ain't life
fun??????

As to being challanged, no, I think most members and lurkers are annoyed
with my bluntness.  Read the responses.  Some are almost knee-jerk
reactions rather than thought through ideas.  But I welcome all responses.
I have a skin like a Rhino.  

Actually I like to start discussions.  I loved Julio's response to the
folio discussion.  Even though I disagreed and responded saying so, it was
obvious Julio gave his position a lot of thought.  I respect that.  I hope
between he and I we have given everyone something to think about.

I will also take a devil's advocate position from time to time when things
get slow.  But to the best of my ability I will never intentionally harm or
respond negetively in such a way as to upset anyone.  (I do however seem to
do it naturally, don't I?  It's a gift!!!!  :-)>>>>)  I also try to limit
my ideas to art, woodblock and Baren.

Until Dave officially boots me off Baren, I will continue to be my blunt
annoying self.  But I also hope people understand my thoughts are to
provoke ideas, not to hurt.  Whenever I do, I immediately apologize.

Note also, the humor has been absent for the most part.  We have some
really humorless people on Baren and it is sad.  BUT, never fear, humor
will again creep into the discussions, particularly as Graham usually gets
me going.  It is his fault really.  

Actually, answering with a simple no, seemed to provoke more controversy
than a long response.  God, I love the English language.  Raising hell with
just two letters out of tweny six.  Gee...what if I start using four?????
:-)>>>>

I hope your Labor Day holiday is going well.  Enjoy a good one.

Cheers

Ray Esposito

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From: jimandkatemundie@juno.com (James G Mundie)
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 13:43:43 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1544] Greetings, Green Drop, going public with the folio 

Hello, Daniel Kelly.  Welcome to Baren.  I look forward to seeing some of
your work and reading your contributions to [Baren].

Your post the other day prompted Dave to ask about the results for those
of us sampling the Green Drop inks.  Well actually, Dave... speaking for
myself I can say that I haven't heard from Mr. Sampat in months about
that, nor have I yet applied my ink knife to Green Drop's inks.  I hope
to do so soon, however.  I'll keep you all posted.

***

This recent debate over the relative merits or demerits (?) of displaying
the finished folio has been rather interesting.

I suppose I have no objection to individuals displaying their copies if
they have the opportunity, but I do hope that the folio would be
displayed as such and in its entirety. 

I certainly can't say that I would object to anyone giving _my_ work some
added exposure ;-), but I think we do need to be careful to make sure
that the folio is given a uniform presentation with all the necessary
[Baren] information readily available to the viewers.   Dave and Ray's
suggestions on this front are , I think, excellent. 

This folio, as many have pointed out is, is going to be something of a
snapshot of this happy little group of woodcut printmakers.  We're
somewhat tiny and obscure in the scheme of things, which I think adds to
the charm of this undertaking.  But what are we really all about?  Isn't
education in the craft one of our primary concerns?   Our publicizing
efforts should focus on that.  

The display of the folio is really something of a marketing issue-- a
whole separate endeavor that will require a lot more work on the part of
whomever decides to take that on.  How wonderful it would be if everyone
could convince their local university, arts center or library to display
our work. 

Mise le meas,
James Mundie, Philadelphia USA

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From: Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 14:00:20 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1545] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

Ray, let me see if I get this right, your new sign off is then     
; -(>>>>>>>>>>>>>+  =

When does the city signboard of Snow Hill chalk you in, as an official
resident?  


Dave,
Is this Tokuriiki the Tomikichiro Tokuriki or another?   What is it these
guys eat,  that makes them so long-lived?  There seems to be a high number
of quite long-lived gentlemen among the ranks of twentieth century
woodblock artists.  Why at this rate, Dave, you've got another fifty years
of carving and printing ahead of you!   I guess I better get busy on some
more designs!  

Gary

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From: StudioJNC@aol.com
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 15:06:15 EDT
Subject: [Baren 1546] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

Dear Ray
Actually I loved your treatise on keeping the folio together vs. taking it
apart for exhibitions.  I gave it a lot of thought and to tell the truth I am
ambiguous on those points.  I had not planned as yet just what I would do with
my folio, besides enjoy looking through it.  I understand where you are coming
from, especially if you are a collector of folios. Sounds like you hold them
very dear and that is honorable. I  am going to have a nice frame made and
then, each month I will place one of the prints in the frame where I can enjoy
it. When time comes , I will then place it back in the folio, all intact. I
guess everyone will have their own way of viewing the suite {I guess that is
what it will be}. 
PS; If you have the skin of a Rhino and a long beard, I would love to have you
for a model.  What a character you would make in a painting!!!!!!
I am joking of course!!!!

Jeanne

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From: Ray Esposito <brassring@brassring.org>
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998 19:59:29 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1547] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

At 02:00 PM 9/7/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Ray, let me see if I get this right, your new sign off is then     
> ; -(>>>>>>>>>>>>>+  

No, its just :-)>>>> ...........for now.  And my sign-off is never a frown.

>When does the city signboard of Snow Hill chalk you in, as an official
>resident?  

I close on the properties November 1st but won't actually move until closer
to December 1st.  It will take me a couple of months to get the
gallery/studio set up because I am also establishing the national
headquarters of The Brass Ring Society.  Too much to do in a short period
of time.  I plan on having an open house but anyone, especially Baren
members, is most welcome at anytime from Decmeber on.

Ray Esposito

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From: Ray Esposito <brassring@brassring.org>
Date: Sun, 06 Sep 1998 20:15:36 -0400
Subject: [Baren 1548] Re: Baren Digest V4 #267 

Jeanne wrote:
>Dear Ray
>Actually I loved your treatise on keeping the folio together vs. taking it
>apart for exhibitions.  
...
>I  am going to have a nice frame made and then, each month I will place 
>one of the prints in the frame where I can enjoy it. 

A wondeful way to display works.  A large part of my collection are prints
from many centuries.  As a result they are in a vast variety of sizes.  I
designed a  spring clip, quick change frame and had a number of them made.
I then matted all prints in the same size mat.  This way, I could change
out prints in just seconds for each one and rotate my collection.  For
anyone with a larger collection this might be a way to go.  After all,
there is nothing I hate more than having my art collection just sitting in
drawers.

>PS; If you have the skin of a Rhino and a long beard, I would love to have
>you for a model.  What a character you would make in a painting!!!!!!
>I am joking of course!!!!

Gee....too bad.  

The main problem is, a very large piece of wood would be needed to get all
300lbs of me in.  The other day I was in a department store and when I
walked by, the sales lady behind a counter yelled out "ho, ho, ho".  I went
over to her and said, "the size is right, the beard length is correct and I
can ho, ho, ho with the best of them.  Unfortunately, the beard isn't white
enough.  Santa worries more than I do."  Heck, if I had to worry about
keeping all those elves and raindeer in vituals, my beard would be pure
white too.  Ho, ho, ho!!!!!!

(Of course, Baren just might do the job.  :-)>>>>)

Have a great Labor Day.

Cheers

Ray Esposito

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Tue, 08 Sep 1998 07:51:53 +0900
Subject: [Baren 1549] Various . 

Jeanne wrote:
>I  am going to have a nice frame made and then, each month I will 
>place one of the prints in the frame where I can enjoy it. When 
>time comes , I will then place it back in the folio, all intact.

This is exactly how nearly all my collectors use their print sets. 
'Removable-back' frames are readily available here; the concept of
changing the items on display in one's home to reflect a change in the
season or mood is fundamental to this society.  It's not just
'pictures', but calligraphy, flowers, clothing ... you name it.

And I very much doubt that anybody would consider that the integrity of
a set or folio would be disturbed by this.  I too own some print folios,
but have no hesitation whatsoever about focussing my attention at any
particular moment on one particular print from the set, just as I may go
back and re-read some particular passage from a book on occasion.  

I believe that our upcoming print folio is _not_ a book, designed to be
read page by page, with an important narrative thread running through
it.  I think it would be an excellent idea to have the entire set
mounted on the walls of a large room, where it can be viewed in two ways
- - first as a _group_ of prints, by standing back and absorbing the
overall appearance and concept of the collection, and then one-by-one
close-up as individual works of art that 'relate' (excuse me) to that
overall concept.

But enough of this particular topic please.  I think we've all made our
points clearly ...  Get your tools out!

***

Gary wrote:
>Is this Tokuriiki the Tomikichiro Tokuriki or another?   What is it these
>guys eat,  that makes them so long-lived?  There seems to be a high number
>of quite long-lived gentlemen among the ranks of twentieth century
>woodblock artists.

Yes, this is the same man.  He is responsible for quite a number of us
getting involved with woodblock printmaking by virtue of a very small
book of his that was published back in 1968.  That book was _my_ main
source of information in the early days, and I remember David Stones
over in Aichi telling me the same thing some years ago. 

As for their age, I rather suspect that woodblock printmakers live no
longer or shorter than any other random group.  You simply don't hear
much these days from the ones who kicked the bucket early ...

And of course here in Japan, one's viewpoint on this is skewed by the
fact that there are relatively few young woodblock printmakers here. 
I'm 46 and I'm not too far from being the youngest member of the
craftsman's association here in Tokyo.  (I'm of course speaking of
professionals only when I say 'few'.  There are hundreds of thousands of
people here  - and I use that number literally - of amateurs who enjoy
the craft.  NHK TV regularly runs courses on woodblock printmaking on
their education channel, and basic tools and supplies are available at
stationery shops and art shops in every town in the country.)

Daniel was speaking the truth the other day when he said that most young
artists would rather be doing _anything_ except woodblock work, but I
don't think that's such a bad thing.  The only ones left are _serious_!

Dave

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End of Baren Digest V4 #268
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