[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Thursday, 19 November 1998 Volume 05 : Number 348 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Ray Esposito" Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 10:25:42 -0500 Subject: [Baren 2150] shutting down Well folks, I will be shutting down until late next week or the week after. The movers will be here tomorrow and I am nowhere near packed so I am packing the computer. Keep those posts coming and I will catch up with all of you when I get settled in Snow Hill. Cheers Ray ------------------------------ From: "Roger A. Ball" Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 08:36:12 -0700 Subject: [Baren 2151] Frame, new cut Yes Gayle, it is the screw _heads_ which hold my block in place and allow some adjustment in fit. Okay, sticking my neck out--I'm to the point where I'm ready to take some heat on my latest cut. I know I've still got a bunch of problems to overcome (mostly with stray pigment and moisture level) but overall, I'm pretty happy with it so far. If you don't mind not saving your delight/hatred until the exchage, try http://www.inquo.net/~beckorro/woodcut/bee1b.jpg for a jaypeg scan of a print from last night's print run. Still wet and a bit wrinkly; but the foliage and background are almost where I want them. Bee and flowers have 2 overprints each missing here, accounting for 4 additonal colors left to be carved and applied. Being at this point at this stage should mean I can start actually _printing_ by Dec. 1--and that would be good since 29 of these puppies need to be in Philadelphia by Feb. 15! Ob stats: Watercolor, ricepaste, Rising Stonehenge Warm white, 3 birch ply blocks, barened, roughly 8" x 10". Production will be on Stonehenge Cream, with more colors and hopefully a bunch cleaner. --All comments welcomed. Cheers! - -Roger ------------------------------ From: "David Stones" Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 01:17:15 +0900 Subject: [Baren 2152] RE: How it was done ... Dear Dave B, James, Gary or anyone out there with RealAudio, I tried to get the interviews and all worked out well, although the problem Gary had (Error 19) also came up but was rectified by just shutting down the page and trying again. RealAudio comes with the Microsoft (all Mac users stop reading for a bit) Internet Explorer but when the dialogue box comes up the recording takes awhile to start - sometimes, it seems. Clicking on View brings up the "programme" details if they don't come up automatically. RealAudio balked when I failed to fill in their name and e-mail request (wouldn't play the recording) so I, again, started from the beginning and now that request page just flashes by... Are you there Mac users? I've been in front of one for most of the day, now it's early morning and Windows turn... but could not get Roxanne's prints, only blank boxes. The Townhouse site was no problem and very interesting, thanks James. Thought a bit of feedback may help... no time to comment much... print on. Dave S ------------------------------ From: jimandkatemundie@juno.com (James G Mundie) Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 11:37:45 -0500 Subject: [Baren 2153] Re: Baren Digest V5 #347 Thanks to everyone who perservered through electronic tribulations to take a look at the Townhouse gallery site (and the kind words of encouragement, of course). The site came up for me without a hitch (as did Roxanne's sites), so I don't really know why any of you may have experienced difficulties getting the images. It occurs to me that I should apologize to Don for misrepresenting the medium of his print in my last post. I assumed it was a mezzotint, but I see that it is listed as a polymer relief ... whatever that might be. Ray wrote: >Please do not feed Jim's ego. After I move to Maryland next week I >will be just down the road from him. It will be hard enough to live near him >under any circumstances for you making him impossible. :-)>>> Why, Ray... I see no reason why the tri-state area cannot accomodate both of our egos. Unless yours is taking up more space these days? :-D *** Dave wrote: >Those of you who have the RealAudio Player installed on your machine >will be able to hear about a half-hour of interview that I did late >last year. Oh, those Canadian intonations. Thanks for sharing these interviews with us, Dave. It's one thing to read your thoughts on the process, but it's quite a treat to hear it, too. Number 99 looks great! I'll get back to you about the bonfire after I've mulled it over some more. *** Ray also wrote: >I must have missed the post on Johnson & Johnson baby oil but would >like to put in my two cents. Since I use etching inks, baby oil is a main >ingredient I would recommend you buy baby oil from Dollar General or >some other discounter that has a store brand. It is a lot cheaper. I have >written J&J telling them about artists using their baby oil and asking >for larger containers, I would like to buy it by the gallon, at a special >price. If I get an answer, I will let you know. I can anticipate the response you'll get. Johnson & Johnson Artists' Oil. Same old stuff, but with a different label and a higher price. Once you let a company know you are using their product for artistic purposes, they'll find a way to charge you more for it. James Mundie, Philadelphia (extremely close to Ray) USA ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 09:32:34 -0800 Subject: [Baren 2154] Re: shutting down Ray wrote.... >Well folks, I will be shutting down until late next week or the week after. Oh my....no Ray for a week+ .....that will be a Rolaids Graham . ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 09:39:28 -0800 Subject: [Baren 2155] Re: How it was done ... David Stone wrote.... > RealAudio comes with the Microsoft (all Mac users stop reading for >a bit) Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Graham Since Ray is out of here I will pick up the slack..... Take care of the means ....... and the end will take care of itself. ------------------------------ From: Don Furst Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 15:23:13 -0500 Subject: [Baren 2156] Re: Baren Digest V5 #347 James Mundie wrote: >Thanks to everyone who perservered through electronic tribulations to >take a look at the Townhouse gallery site (and the kind words of >encouragement, of course). >It occurs to me that I should apologize to Don for misrepresenting the >medium of his print in my last post. I assumed it was a mezzotint, but I >see that it is listed as a polymer relief ... whatever that might be. James, No apology needed. The print resembles my recent mezzotints and, besides, we are all probably accustomed to having our prints called watercolors, charcoal drawings, etc. by well-intentioned non-artists. I am just happy to know people are looking. --Don ------------------------------ From: Jean Eger Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1998 13:16:21 -0800 Subject: [Baren 2157] Re: Baren Digest V5 #347 Dave, Amazing! Next week I expect to click on my computer screen and have you materialize in my living room in a burst of tiny shiny particles, a la Star Trek! Jean ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1998 10:15:43 +0900 Subject: [Baren 2158] Various ... Fatima asked: >Do you know how much costs the Yamada Shokai general catalog and do they >have other printmaking suplies, I mean, not only for woodblock ? is it >everything written in japanese ? They sell only paper. The sample book for printmaking papers costs 1,500 plus postage. It comes accompanied with a printed price list showing costs for each sheet (with various quantity discounts). Each sheet of paper in the sample book has the name and dimensions printed on in both Japanese characters and roman transcription. *** Phil wrote: >Dave, what a great article on Mr. Susumu Ito! In the article you mentioned >a cloth that protected the back surface of the block from being marred by >the surface of the table. What do you use? I have often wondered about this. Ito-san just uses a clean piece of cotton cloth. There's nothing special about this; the idea is simply to protect the reverse side of the wood from being scratched. *** Jean wrote: >Next week I expect to click on my computer screen and have you materialize >in my living room in a burst of tiny shiny particles, a la Star Trek! I'm working on it Jean ... but I don't think I'll be able to have it ready by next week - give me a couple of months, OK? *** A couple of months ago (?) I mentioned that I had started the P/R work for the upcoming exhibition. Some people expressed interest in this, but I'm sorry that I haven't been following up on it. That first batch of 'flyers' (descriptive sheets with two colour photographs glued on) went out to publications with a long 'lead' time - monthly magazines and the like. The results were disappointing, with none of them 'biting' for an interview. There were some phone calls to confirm exhibition dates, so I do know that at least some of them will be running the info in their 'Events' columns, or somewhere. I don't usually hear about this sort of publicity, and only find out about it when people wander into the gallery with a clipping in their hand. The second batch went out a few weeks ago, pretty much the same thing, but with the wording updated. That went to weekly publications and weekly TV shows. A couple of them have replied, and I've done three good interviews since then, two for wide circulations weekly magazines, and one for a national newspaper. This is really going to help attendance at the show ... But with only six or seven weeks left now, time is running out for weeklies, so I don't really expect much more from this group, although again, many of them may be giving me space but not telling me about it ... The third batch went out just the other day, this to daily newspapers as well as TV and radio stations. This is the group that will 'make or break' the exhibition, by either giving me good coverage or ignoring me. And this is the 'fingernail biting' group - sometimes they call early and come for an interview, and sometimes they wait until the moment before the show starts. One year, NHK called up and asked to come over while we were actually hanging the stuff on the wall. So I won't know how effective this particular mailing has been until later. But so far so good - one call came in from NHK TV last night, and I'm booked to do a live morning talk show on December 19th, two weeks before opening day. All that's left is for me to send out invitation postcards to people who attended previous exhibitions (probably to about three years back ...). Then there will be one final kick at the cat, somewhere around the beginning of December. I'll be sending out a piece to all the international news agencies and wire services, hoping they'll nibble ... With my current series coming to an end this year, and most of the collectors dispersing to the winds, I'm going to be starting right from the beginning again this time, and my entire standard of living for the next few years thus depends on what assistance I get from the media for this exhibition. So I sit and wait for the phone to ring while I'm carving ... and if you should happen to phone me up sometime in the next couple of weeks, don't feel too disappointed if I say 'Oh, it's only _you_." Keep your fingers crossed ... Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V5 #348 ***************************