[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 2 December 1998 Volume 05 : Number 361 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: [Baren 2231] Erroneous posting deleted ... ------------------------------ From: Sheryl Coppenger Date: Tue, 1 Dec 1998 20:11:05 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Baren 2232] record-keeping Greetings all, and belated happy birthday to Baren. Thanks, Dave, for providing this most excellent service. Yesterday in the mail I received a postcard in the mail which advertised software for artists at www.workingartist.com. I downloaded a demo copy of the software, but it took a good long while and I haven't had time to evaluate it yet. At first glance seems to have some interesting features, but it's only version 1.01 and so probably not mature yet. But like so many things, it got me wondering... I'm inching toward "professionalism" here and better record-keeping is part of it. How much record-keeping do others on the list do, and how much is computerized? If computerized, what packages do you use? Note that this is a separate issue from the much discussed "to design or not to design with computers" issue. Disclaimer: I have no connection to the workingartist.com people. I've not even in the same time zone. :-) Sheryl (Who ran into problems with her cherry plank supplier, can't do what she planned for the exchange print and is having to "punt". :-( ) ------------------------------ From: Matthew.W.Brown@VALLEY.NET (Matthew W Brown) Date: 01 Dec 98 22:38:07 EST Subject: [Baren 2233] Paste & Wood Happy Bithday Baren! I'm not sure what to think of the 2000 posts, but for what its worth, here is yet another one . . . Brad, In respnse to your query: > there was some mention of using YES! paste & water to attach > an image to a block and then rub the paper fiber off the back of the block ... It has been my experience that it doesn't matter too much what you use for paste when pasting papers to your blocks for carving. I usually use a cold wheat paste, but know that a flour paste (heated), a thick rice paste, and would think Yes paste as well as Yamato paste would work. Anything that will stick the paper and then wash off with water when you are finished carving. If you dampen your copier paper before pasting (let sit under damp blotter or towel for an hour or longer), you will have better luck both in the pasting and the rubbing. In the end, if you practice with the rubbing, I think you will find you get a better result than the iron-on method (something that I have tried myself). On the plywoods: you won't get much detail or carving control out of the lauan, go for the birch plywood. Matt ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 12:52:04 +0900 Subject: [Baren 2234] Thanks ... Thanks for the kind 'birthday' comments ... I'm sorry that I wasn't able to arrange something 'special' for that event, but I'm up to my eyebrows right now ... The exhibition publicity is going quite well, with a few more newspapers asking for interviews this week. This will help a lot, but the ones I've really got my fingers crossed about are the radio stations. Radio interviews seem to be the most effective form of P/R in this market - at least as far as getting people out to the gallery is concerned. *** Julio cracked a joke about: > Have a great holiday and happy CARVINGS! and this brings up quite an interesting point. Just what _is_ the correct verb for what we do? 'Carve' or 'cut'? A printmaker who corresponded with me some months ago was quite concerned, almost upset, that I use the verb 'carve' in my Encyclopedia. He felt that this word should only be used in reference to a more three-dimensional form of work, as in carving a wooden sculpture. What we do, in his view, is wood cutting. I have mixed feelings about this. I can't deny that he has a somewhat valid point, and the historical usage (at least in Europe) seems to be on his side. But I'm coming from a different tradition. The same verb is used here in Japan for both flat work like ours and for three dimensional work, and the term 'hori-shi' translates best as 'carver' not 'cutter'. I'm not much of a purist, and unlike my correspondent, I don't lose any sleep over these things. But seeing Julio's joke did made me think about it ... *** It was very interesting to hear from Graham about his working environment, and yes I can see that I _have_ to do an Encyclopedia section on this, with photos and floor plans from many different printmakers. As usual, no sooner has the idea come up than I want to see that section ready right _now_! But it'll have to wait for a while ... In the meantime, next time you're trying to use up the last couple of shots on a roll of film, think about this, and prepare some photos of your working environment. Send them over to me when you get a minute, so that I can start to put that entry together bit by bit ... *** Brad wrote: > Take the image you'd like to transfer and get it color laser copied on > to thermal transfer paper (the same stuff they use to make t-shirts out of) > and then iron the transfer onto your block. Pretty simple. Simple indeed. What a nifty idea, and one which I intend to try soon. I think I'll be making my New Year card in a bit of a different way this year - without the traditional outlines - and this method sounds like just the ticket for the hanshita transfer. Brad, does it leave a fairly thick layer of transfer pigment stuck onto the block, one which will 'chip off' as the knife runs through it, thus spoiling thin lines? *** The server is still acting up, and sending out copies of older messages. Please be patient until this is sorted out ... thanx. And apologies to Greg Bonnell-Kangas, whose address the server seems to have 'chosen' as the phantom sender of such messages. Perhaps it _is_ trying to tell you something, Greg! Dave ------------------------------ From: Jean Eger Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 22:06:43 -0800 Subject: [Baren 2235] Re: Sirizaka Dear Bareners, My neighborhood folk arts store has a print for sale by Sirizaka. It's a block print on Japanese paper (looks like regular Hosho). It's one month of a calendar (December, I don't know what year), decorated with cranes, and other small objects. It's a cheerful print. She wants $45 for it. I was wondering if anyone on Baren knows anything about the artist Sirizaka or his/her work. Sincerely, Jean Eger ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V5 #361 ***************************