[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 30 September 1998 Volume 04 : Number 297 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Steiner Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 22:06:04 +0900 Subject: [Baren 1778] wheat paste forever from Richard Steiner, Kyoto As Kelly mentioned and I now remember, yes, it was wheat paste we ate as kids. Great stuff. And after I wrote yesterday's note, I recalled that here in Japan at least, we have a choice of two kinds of "rice" paste, with and without formaldehyde or formalin. In my studio we use the Without. However, I always keep a bottle of formalin handy to mix with my pigments, which in summer become living organizations, so pervasive is the mold hereabouts. (However, I have no problem whatsoever with paper.) Formaldehyde doesn't seem to kill the little creatures, but it does slow them down somewhat. When it comes time to use the pigment, the colony is almost always living at the top of the color, so it is easy to simply scoop it off and dump it out the window. I also recall an incident that is quite revealing of the different ways craftsmen in different countries and times work. One summer I was teaching/studying again at Toshi Yoshida's mountain art and craft camp. He was working at the same time on a very big commission from the Nobel Prize Committee, a set of three large prints, edition of120 each. He had brought his printer along with him, so for two weeks we all got to see first hand how a "real" professional works. He kept all 120+ sheets of washi moist for the whole two weeks, remoistening the pile frequently. He mixed formaldehyde liberally with the water, so much so that my eyes burned from the fumes even tho his table and mine were on opposite sides of the big room we were all working in. How he could stand it, I have no idea, yet it appeared to have no affect on him at all. He is still alive. I met him last year in Tokyo, where he continues to print Toshi's old blocks. Either the formalin has no ill affect on him, or he is actually dead but so well preserved that he just carries on doing the only thing he knows. Steiner/Kyoto ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 07:41:18 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [Baren 1779] Re: wheat paste forever Richard Steiner wrote..... re Toshi Yoshida's >He had brought his printer along with him, so for two weeks we all got >to see first hand how a works. This must have been quite an insight. Could you clearify a "real" professional. Does this make all other professionals unreal ... ? Graham Welcome back Ray........ ------------------------------ From: jimandkatemundie@juno.com (James G Mundie) Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 11:34:13 -0400 Subject: [Baren 1780] Re: Baren Digest V4 #296 Matt wrote: >There will be a Print show at the Park Ave. Armory in NYC Nov. >4-8 with much of this same work, perhaps there are some on the Baren who >could make a visit to this; I would encourage it! I concur, "Works on Paper" is worth a visit at least once. I've been a number of times and it's always a thrill to see some of this stuff in person, even if you can't afford to take it home with you. Lots of Rembrandts, Whistlers and such, too. One finds after a time that its the same dealers coming back each year with the same stock, but that hardly matters. *** Julio wrote: >Good news. I found a store in my neck of the woods that specializes >ONLY in Japanese hand-made washi and tools... >AIKO's Art Supply >3347 N. Clark >Chicago, Illinois >phone (773) 404-5600 Julio, this place is the mother lode. A friend was there recently while visiting a friend of her's in Chicago and had to be dragged out of the store before she bankrupted herself. She did acquire some of the best sumi I've experienced, though. She said one could spend hours just going through the paper and brushes at Aiko's. Mise le meas, James Mundie, Philadelphia USA ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 17:47:27 -0500 Subject: [Baren 1781] re: hair carving Dave, Richard, anyone....... I got a technical question regarding carving & printing of hair detail ala japanese style. In many prints the hair detail is phenomenal, with many very intricate lines that cross each other and overlay other lines such as neckline or dress. How is this detail obtained/done ? There must be several different blocks for the hair lines that overlap and then they must be printed in the correct order to give the correct prespective. Right ? ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Tue, 29 Sep 1998 18:25:35 -0500 Subject: [Baren 1782] re: carving block Dave, On your Spring 98 newsletter you have some very interesting photos of two "craftpersons". I noticed that in the photo of Kayoko-san she seems to be carving into a block made up of strips of wood glued together on the side, kind of like engravers do to get a large enough block of cross-grain wood needed for detail work. Is this a fact, does she uses cross-grain wood, or are my eyes playing tricks on me ? ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V4 #297 ***************************