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

Baren Digest             Thursday, 28 January 1999     Volume 06 : Number 426

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 08:47:13 -0800
Subject: [Baren 2813] Re: cherry 

Jean Eger wrote....
>(non-Baren member) sent me this web site address which I pass
>along to you-all!
>http://www.lakeshorehardwoods.com
>Check it out!

Is your computer working OK?
The posting for the URL came from Jean D. Parus via Dave Bull to my
computer on Jan 26th  I inturn checked out the site and responded on Jan
26th explaining the width mistake.
Any rate I was wondering if you are not getting the postings.?????

Graham

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From: James G Mundie <jimandkatemundie@juno.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 10:19:44 -0500
Subject: [Baren 2814] more about methyl cellulose 

April wrote:
>I've never had methyl cellulose go bad on me. James, what were you 
>doing with it?

and Sarah said:
>- so far I have not had a problem w/mold with methyl cellulose, but I
>store it in the refridgerator when I'm not using it - do you do this?

I haven't had the need of it lately, but when I shared a shop with five
or six others we went through quite a bit of methyl cellulose for various
purposes (mostly chine colle).  Generally, one of us would mix up a pint
of this useful mucous about once a week.  We didn't have a fridge, so it
mostly lived in its jar in a dark cabinet.  When the weather turned hot,
very often someone would go reach for the methyl cellulose and find quite
a nice forest of penecillin on top and a nasty smell.  What else to do
but dump it out, clean the jar and mix up a new batch?

I know ideally we should have been mixing methyl cellulose fresh every
time we needed it, but it simply wasn't practical.  Like I said before, 
I think it likely that that the powder itself or the water used to mix it
up had somehow been contaminated with mold spores.  Heat did the rest.

James Mundie,
Philadelphia USA  

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 18:48:09 -0800
Subject: [Baren 2815] Newest image 

Got a new image on my site.

Go   http://www.islandnet.com/~gscholes/
or    http://www.members.home.net/gscholes/

click on the red  "newest image"  button and enjoy.

Graham

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@islandnet.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 21:01:51 -0800
Subject: [Baren 2816] food for thought 

Jack Shadbolt 1909 - 1998,
Jac died in Nov 98' and was one of Canada's foremost artist.

You can find a couple images as follows......
http://www.artists4kids.com/ftx24.htm
http://www.artists4kids.com/ftx25.htm

You may find this quote and opening address, to an exhibition of artwork by
fine arts students interesting and quite possibly helpful in your
indeavours.

*** start quote ***

My criteria for selecting paintings of quality has been the same for this
student exhibition as it would have been for works by established artists.
I would not patronize these student artists by applying any but the highest
standard to their hopeful works.  The followingare the general screenings
which went through my mind as I viewed the total exposed works presented to
me and from which I chose these on the wall:

One: What is the state of the student's mind? Is he or she clear about what
they wish to convey, or is there evidence of a confused or unresolved
thought process? In short what is the content of the work?
"By this I don't mean, 'Is there a message or a moral or an obvious social
statement?' I mean, 'has this been a real experience?' Has it penetrated
live genuinely or is it just superficial? Does it finally add up to a
poetic truth? Is it just a prosaic statement?

Two:  Is it stated with adequate means?  In short, has the artist used the
vehicles at his or here disposal with clarity and intelligence? Is the
statement authoritative, giving a sense of being completely right to
project the experience involved?  This would be my definition of technique.

Three:  Is the artist over-anxious to convince us, resorting to heavy
dramatics and melodramatic statement? Is he or she trying to win us over by
sentimentality or cuteness? Are there painting 'tricks' present, or is
there too much technical bravura?  Is there a self-conscious attitude, or
does the artist keep themselves out of it and leaving something for our
imagination to complete, thus involving us in his or her process?

Four:  Does the whole performance have a vitality? Is it vital (the first
necessity), and sensitive in the sense that it takes us deeper into the
subtle areas of experience opening us up to insight.

"These are tough criteria, but even to have thought about them is the true
training process of a potentially serious artist.  To the degree that each
of these works has realized some element of these notions, the artist
involved should be encouraged.

Finally,  does the organization of the work achieves a totally coherent
configuration, exactly suitable to the nature of the experience presented.

*** end quote ***

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End of Baren Digest V6 #426
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