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

Baren Digest               Sunday, 28 March 1999       Volume 06 : Number 505

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From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc@prodigy.net>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 09:05:59 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3742] Re: Various ...

Wood block Members;
This Forum is invaluable to all of us who want to excell at what the name
implies that it would be too confusing to include all ot the other
printmaking techniques.

Other techniques;
I would also like a real discussion group about etchings, collagraphs, etc;
And Brad has such a forum, although much different than the Baren , it can
be quite helpful. Dave has a lot to do on his Baren Forum and we certainly
do not want it watered down.

Jean;
The Southern Graphic Council sounds like a huge success and your enthusiasm
shows. I do not understand the relief process with PVC, Perhaps you can post
it on my web page; studiojnc@prodigy.net

Julio;
There are so many wonderful prints in the Exchange that I have not been able
to really study to the full advantage of each one. So I did go to your
print, The Baren.  I like the message it gives, personal, full of feeling
for the group that you belong to.  It made me bond with you and the others.
So you certainly conveyed a feeling.  Is'nt that what art is all about?  The
back of the print is just as beautiful as the front. Another reason for me
to start the "hanga"method.

Ritchie;
I just do not have the heart to rub off the texture to see what is
underneath. The print stands alone and I do not want to end the suspense.

Dave;

I went to your FAQ2, and decided to get all of the posts in one, as the post
stated. I also think that a humorless forum , can be a dull forum. I do not
think the humor is overdone here at all.  After 5 was a stroke of geniius by
Dave and I think we all appreciate what he has done.

Question;
RICE PASTE   Can wheat paste do the job?

My one and only post of the day.   The End

"There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are
others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot
into the sun."

Forgive me if I digress.

Jeanne

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 08:46:11 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3743] Pasties 
>Question;
>RICE PASTE   Can wheat paste do the job?

Goood question.....I went through this exercise about year ago and posted
the findings and asked if anybody could advise. Here I go again.

I have just mixed up some wheat and rice paste into separate batches.

Method for those who don't know....
Mix a teaspoon of flour in warm water to get a liquid pasty stuff.  Then
pour in boiling water slowly and watch it as it thickens and turns to
translucent paste.   I strain to remove the lumps.

Observations:
The rice paste looks to have a very fine granular texture. Anybody know
why.  The stuff you buy is more translucent and virtually smooth.

The wheat past looks smoother but it does not have the translucence that I
recall from my days in art school....gawd that was 47 big ones ago....(am I
entitled to a little curse word here).... Have they done something with
flour that prevents the translucent happening.

I see know reason why the wheat paste would not work.  You mix it as you
require it, as it will go mouldy. The commercial stuff doesn't by the way.

Graham

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From: kim and paul <topcogs@worldnet.att.net>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 14:07:18 +0000
Subject: [Baren 3744] Re: Southern Graphic Council conference 

Hello, new baren members and old, 
this is Kim Kaschimer-Medina

	I haven't been jumping into the mix lately but have been keeping up 
on the reading.  Have been busy making prints for the exchange at the 
Southern Graphics Council conference in Tempe, AZ last week and 
preparing for the panel disscussion group I was a part of last 
Saturday.
	Hello again to Jean Eger!  What a treat it was to be able to meet 
someone from Baren.  Thanks for sitting in on our panel discussion.  I 
agree, the Leopoldo Mendez exhibition was wonderful.  If anyone is 
interested in this show and wants a copy of the 6-page flyer I picked 
up while there, send your name and address to 
<topcogs@worldnet.att.net>.
	Also, I watched a demo on "photo emulsion collographs" that allows 
you to create a photo-sensitive plate from wood, plexi or cardboard.  
It needs an exposure from a light source.  The sun works nicely.  
After exposure, the emulsion is washed off with a spray of water.  If 
you want a copy of that flyer, send me your address to the same email 
above.
	It's great to see new names in the group and I look forward to 
participating in the next Baren exchange.  After seeing this year's 
results, I know it will be worth my time to pull the 30 prints.

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From: Daniel Kelly <daniel@mail.vowel.or.jp>
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 10:00:19 +0900
Subject: [Baren 3745] Re: Pasties 

Graham wrote;
>>RICE PASTE   Can wheat paste do the job?

AND CONCLUDES;
>I see now the reason why the wheat paste would not work.  You mix it as you
>require it, as it will go mouldy. The commercial stuff doesn't by the way.

I'm not sure I understand Graham. Is the problem just that it molds? But
does the wheat paste work as well for you in the paint? Does the cloudyness
of the wheat paste effect the use? If the wheat paste were not cloudy or
grainy and didn't mold, could you substitute it?
D

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Sun, 28 Mar 1999 10:51:29 +0900
Subject: [Baren 3746] Re: Various ... 

Jeanne wrote:
> RICE PASTE   Can wheat paste do the job?

and Grahan answered:
>I see no reason why the wheat paste would not work.  You mix it as you
>require it, as it will go mouldy.

Rather than rice, I use all-purpose flour for my paste, and it seems to
work just fine - it comes out smooth and semi-translucent white.  As
Graham mentioned, it does 'go off' pretty fast, so it's not worth making
too much at a time.

(Now that I've said that, I should also add that I never seem to have
much success 'cooking' it by myself, and my friend Sadako brings over a
fresh batch each time I start a new print ...    Some 'pro' huh?)

Her 'recipe' is in the encyclopedia at:
http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/topics/013/013_frame.html

***

Marco wrote:
> Does anybody have a brief description of the what japanese woodblock
> printmaking is and how it is done, something concise and not thoroughly
> technical, for the general public?

How about this one - from 'Printmaking' by Saff and Sacilotto, 1978 Holt
Rinehart and Winston:

The technique used in making color woodcuts during the ukiyo-e period is
a highly skilled and specialized process. It is difficult to
overestimate the technical achievement of this era, or the aesthetic
one. Certainly, the power of the evocative line, the uniqueness of
composition, and the magnificent use of color did not go unheeded when
ukiyo-e prints were first introduced into Europe in the mid-1800s. The
influence of these woodcuts transformed the styles of many leading
artists of the day - including Edgar Degas, James Abbott McNeill
Whistler, and especially Paul Gauguin - and expanded the perimeters of
Western art. Ukiyo-e is still used in parts of the world for making
prints both traditional and modern in concept.

The classic Japanese method of working involves two people =97 the artist=

and the cutter. The artist makes a key drawing with brush and ink, and
pastes it down on a block. To produce the key block, the cutter carves
the wood and the key drawing simultaneously. The drawing remains in
relief as areas around each brush stroke are cut away. All the detailed
carving is done with a knife; a number of different gouges and chisels
serve for clearing other unwanted areas. The work is quite intricate,
calling for great skill as well as manual control and dexterity.

Once the key block has been made, including registration guides cut into
a corner and side of the block, black and white impressions are made
from the block. These are returned to the artist, who indicates on each
sheet the different colors and their positions. The sheets are then
pasted down on separate blocks for each color, and the blocks are cut.

For the printing, a basic rice paste is mixed with color pigment
directly on the block with a special brush. The printing paper is then
placed on top and hand-rubbed with a baren. The pressure applied with
the baren makes the impression.

***

Curious though, that they say 'two people', and not three ...  What
happened to the printer?

Dave

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From: Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 21:51:38 -0500
Subject: [Baren 3747] Re: Various ... 

Dave wrote, 
>Curious though, that they say 'two people', and not three ...  What
>happened to the printer?

I think it's curious that they said it takes two people instead of just
one,  David Bull.  Dave does the work of three but just earns the wages of
one.   It's just like working for the state, Dave.   Some folks retire or
move to another job, and whoever is left has to take up the slack without
getting paid for it.  You see, our jobs are more alike than you thought.

On a sidebar,  I ran into a roll of paper I'd gotten at an art store a few
years ago for sumi.  It was labeled "Sumi Art Paper,  Kozo (Plain Rice
Paper)"  imported by Yasutomo & Co., San Francisco.   If I cook it does it
make that Yashitori you talked about Dave?   Or was that a different recipe
all together?

On an oblique tangent, I was looking at picture frames today and saw one
out of maple that actually had pictures burned into it with a laser.   If
you can imagine a standard printing dot pattern of an enlarged newspaper
photo, that's what it looked like, but the depth and size of each dot
burned in was controlled by a computer-driven laser.    Now that would be
an expensive way to cut your blocks, wouldn't it?   Digital Woodblocks. 

Can you do _that_ on your Mac, Graham?

Gary

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From: (Daniel Kelly)
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 22:24:42 -0500 (EST)
Subject: [Baren 3749] Tokyo Show ... 

To All the Tokyoites
I am doing a show with five American artists (Klifton Karfu, Brian
Williams, Sarah Brayer, Joel Stewart and myself) at Sogetsu Kaikan 
Museum next to the Canadian Embassy (Akasaka Aoyama_ Dori) April 16_ 
18. Opening is 15th 5;30 to 8PM or the secret opening on the 14th for 
the American Chamber.... and those of you I just told.

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 19:41:53 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3750] Re: Pasties 

Daniel wrote....
>I'm not sure I understand Graham. Is the problem just that it molds?

Yes it will mold in about a 5 days in warm weather, 10 days if cool. It
will not mould when on the print and dry.

>does the wheat paste work as well for you in the paint?

This I do not know.  I have heard of it being used but never had personal
experience.
I will be testing it soon as I cannot get the commercial stuff just now.

>Does the cloudyness of the wheat paste effect the use?
No because the it is only slightly cloudy and I'm certain that the amount
you use would not affect the pigment in any way.

I would not use the rice paste which has a gitty appearance..No sense
taking a chance.

When I asked "Can wheat paste do the job?" I was endeavouring to see what
experience others had with it.  Actually Jeanne asked the question first.

Regards,

Graham

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From: Graham Scholes <gscholes@home.com>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 20:00:04 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3751] Re: Various ... 

 Gary
>Digital Woodblocks.
>Can you do _that_ on your Mac, Graham?

No but if you will tell which model I'm at the store doors 1st think Monday
morn......

Regards,

Graham

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From: "Jean Eger" <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Sat, 27 Mar 1999 23:48:14 -0800
Subject: [Baren 3753] Asian paper

Sarah,
I am glad you wrote and told me how you felt about the description "rice
paper."  It is important to keep the lines of communication open.  The term
rice paper was used by a couple of people whose opinions I respect, so I
thought it was OK.  Now I find out that at least two people were willing to
disagree with that point of view enough to write me a letter.  Maybe I
should also reconsider.

Jean
http://users.lanminds.com/~jeaneger

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End of Baren Digest V6 #505
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