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

Baren Digest                Tuesday, 1 June 1999        Volume 07 : Number 580

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From: Cucamongie@aol.com
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 09:21:47 EDT
Subject: [Baren 4484] Re: Baren Digest V7 #579 

Sylvia wrote:
> What is the  best way to go about getting wood for the woodblocks? 

Hi & Welcome Sylvia - tea & biscuits while printmaking, that sounds so 
civilized - so unlike New York (where I live).  Anyway, as far as wood goes, 
I'm sure different members of the forum will have different suggestions, I 
like to buy wood that's already cut to size & ready to use - I buy it from 
McClains - their email address is mcclains@aol.com or they have a toll-free 
number - 1-800-832-4264.  I use their all-shina plywood, which is a nice soft 
basswood - traditionally the Japanese used cherry wood for woodblocks, but 
I've never tried this - it's extremely hard to cut.  There's a list of 
suppliers also on this Baren website.  
Best regards,

Sarah

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From: Gayle Wohlken <blueman@nacs.net>
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 10:21:24 -0400
Subject: [Baren 4485] Re: Baren Digest V7 #579 

Welcome to all new members who've introduced 
themselves, and to those who haven't.  

* * *
The surimono prints show how busy you are, Dave.
I can't imagine trying to make a woodcut do you 
are achieving with these.  But, I have to say I miss
your voice on Baren.  And the great one-point lessons.
I know you welcome any of us to write them and maybe
someone will.  How about it, people?

Gayle

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From: amoss@mindspring.com (John Amoss)
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 10:21:16 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Baren 4486] art and housepainting 

Welcome to all of the new and diverse members!

Dave,
Your Chinnen print looks great!
<http://woodblock.com/surimono/1999/1-3/display_print_1-3.html>
I really enjoyed the list of impressions included! I think it's interesting
that you are reproducing prints that were reproducing brush paintings...

I agree that most artists want a woodblock to look like a woodblock. Maybe
challenges like portraying brushstrokes were ways in which the carvers
expressed themselves through craftsmanship and innovation or maybe I'm
reading too much into it.

Dave, I liken you to a classical musician. Few people criticize them for
reproducing music that was written hundreds of years ago. Why is the
reproduction of art seen in such a negative light?

I recently was looking at art books in a small local library. I found it
interesting that the subject of house painting was next to the fine art
section. When I was younger, I would have found the juxtaposition
insulting, now I don't mind so much. Is it that I have lowered my
standards, or have I come to realize that both are concerned with hard
work, craftsmanship, and filling important human needs?

- -John

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From: Wanda Robertson <robertson@canby.com>
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 11:29:54 -0700
Subject: [Baren 4487] Re: new friends 

I, too, would like to welcome all the new members to this wonderful
group! Come and tell us about yourselves. Don't be shy, we have a wide
range of people here - both complete newbie woodblock printers and
extremely knowledgable artists in many fields. 

Dave, your newest print is very exciting! You are acquainting me with
prints and artists I did not know existed. Such a bold, vigorous style,
and lovely colors in the newest print! I have observed my mother-in-law
holding up her glasses and looking at them just as your older woman is
doing! My favorite part is the hair on the younger woman - so wild &
uncontained, not the usual very formal hair-do we see in so many of the
Edo prints. A "slice of life" print? 

Sylvia, I wonder if your woodblock reduction print-blocks could be birch
faced plywood? It seems to be easy to carve (in my *very* limited
experience) but I can see that it could also splinter. I'm going to
order some Shina from McClains tomorrow. I think I'll get the
double-faced blocks, as that has been recommended to me.

Have a lovely day today, Memorial Day here in the states. To remember
the ones fallen in battle and pray that wars will end in our lifetime.

Wanda

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From: Sheryl Coppenger <sheryl@SEAS.GWU.EDU>
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 14:41:33 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Baren 4488] Re: Let me introduce... 

Greetings, Sylvia, and welcome.

> The program I am in requires some pretty serious examination (and subsequent 
> fluency) in the area of postmodernism.  I'm struggling with some of this 
> pressure to give my work a social-political voice or at least context in the 
> post-modern world.  It's hard to defend flowers, for example, although they 
> find their way into my prints now and again...

I recently finished a second BA in printmaking (the first was in Math).  I
haven't decided yet whether to go on to graduate school.  I think the kind
of pressure you're talking about varies from school to school and was more
common in the 70s than now (which is why I didn't do art school in the 70s
and got a degree in Math instead).  I haven't decided yet whether I'm going 
to do an MFA.

Of course, one has to do what one must to get through school.  And there is
something to be said for getting familiar with the obsessions of one's time.
However, some of my thoughts on reading what you've said,

	1)  Postmodern is a horrible term.  Whatever is going on now is
	    modern by definition, so post-modern definitely gets the cart 
	    before the horse.  Where do we go after postmodern?  The 
	    terminology has us boxed in.  I wished the art historians had 
	    done better by us.  

	2)  A social-political voice is fine, but it has to come from
	    within.  They used to tell writers "write what you know".  I
	    think that was good advice.  Why are flowers hard to defend?
	    Flowers didn't go away just because we're "postmodern".  Sure
	    they've been done a lot, but so has socio-political.

Last week I went to the new Ingres exhibit at the National Gallery.  It's
absolutely gorgeous, and it overlapped with the Sargent exhibit by a week
so pictures by my favorite portraitists were across the hall from each 
other the day I went.  Anyway, the reason I bring him up is that in Ingres'
time the portrait was deprecated and people were supposed to want to be history 
painters.  Eventually Ingres became wealthy enough to stop accepting portrait
commisions and do "what he was supposed to".  Similarly, Fantin-Latour was
one of the best 19th century flower painters.  He also stopped doing what he 
was good at in order to do "what he was supposed to".  The problem is, they 
were both 2nd or 3rd rate history painters.  Nobody looks at their history
paintings now.  It's very sad that they were made to feel ashamed of what 
came naturally to them.

Anyway, not criticizing you but just expressing some of my own struggles
with the same thing.  My work always has been on the "classical" side and
I'm getting into Flemish painting styles recently, which is a giant leap
backward stylistically (at least by chronology).  I figure that I'm unlikely
to be able to make a living at art anyway, so if I have a lot of inventory
under foot it might as well be something that appeals to me. :-)
 
> I am working in a lovely, friendly and well-organized, print studio North of 
> Belfast.  I've become spoiled--where else are you served tea and biscuits 
> while printmaking?  

That does sound lovely.  I recently rented studio space and I have a little
kitchenette in there where at least I'll be able to fix my own tea and
biscuits.  I don't have a press in there, though, so I'll be working on
painting/drawing mostly and doing the printing elsewhere.  I also want to
get started in the paste/pigment printing that most of the folks on the list
do.

BTW, hello folks!  I think I'm back, have just been deleting things unread
mostly for the past few months.

Sheryl Coppenger   

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From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc@prodigy.net>
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 15:49:22 -0400
Subject: [Baren 4489] Re: introducing

Welcome all of the new members to Baren; Arye, Sylvia, and a special welcome
to Sheryl who has been lurking for several months. We have missed you
Sheryl, glad you decided to be heard again. I guess you have been busy
earning that degree.

Thanks T.J.
i have a terrible time trying to sharpen my knives with stones. I will try
out your technique. I have been really struggling , trying to use the stones
properly. I will let you know if the sandpaper technique works out better
for me. Those are tips that I really like.

Sarah
Do you have a Home Depot near you? They have a great supply of lumber, just
ready to cut into the sizes you like. They will even cut it for you. That is
where I buy my poplar. If you look in the phone book at the lumber supply
places, ask if they have cherry wood. It is by far the best that I have
used. It is a little more expensive but worth it. They will also cut it down
for you. You have to pay twice the price if you order through a catalog.

John
Has anyone filled in for Graham yet. There are so many new members out there
that surely there is someone who has 30 prints all ready to go. If no one
fills in for Graham, looks like we will have 2 prints by John Amoss!!!!!

Dave

Still looking at the fascinating progress of you Surinamo prints. How you
can get those fine lines in beyond my imagining!

That's all folks

Jeanne

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 08:11:38 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4491] Re: art and housepainting 

John wrote:
> Dave, I liken you to a classical musician. Few people criticize them for
> reproducing music that was written hundreds of years ago. Why is the
> reproduction of art seen in such a negative light?

This is a really interesting comparison.  And now that you've pointed
this out, I guess that what I do is almost exactly the same as a
musician sitting down to play a piece of music written hundreds of years
ago.

He is expected to bring his own 'feeling' to the performance, but on the
other hand he isn't allowed to change a single note!

When I sat down a couple of weeks ago to 'play' that Chinnen print, I
knew that I couldn't change a single line, but knew also that inevitably
my knife would move 'my' way - perhaps in a different way to the
original carver's way.

So if you took the two prints - the 160 year old original, and my
reproduction - and held them up to the light together, there would be
differences in every line I think.

Maybe for my next exhibition I'll have to think about titling it
'Performances' or something like that ...    Interesting idea ...

***

Wanda wrote:
> You are acquainting me with
> prints and artists I did not know existed. Such a bold, vigorous style,
> and lovely colors in the newest print! 

The books tell me that Chinnen was working in both the 'Shijo' and
'Maruyama' styles of Japanese painting.  I've got books here filled with
hundreds of these designs - enough to keep me busy for a lifetime ...

> I have observed my mother-in-law
> holding up her glasses and looking at them just as your older woman is
> doing! ... A "slice of life" print? 

Yes ... my _own_ life!  Just two years ago I would have identified with
the one in the red kimono ... and now I find myself in the position of
the one in the vermillion kimono ...  A big change in just two years!

***

Gayle wrote:
> But, I have to say I miss
> your voice on Baren.  And the great one-point lessons.

Sorry about this Gayle ... I've still got dozens of ideas on my list for
more of the 'lessons'.  Over the next few months - after my kids get
here for the summer - you'll be seeing more of them, and of new
Encyclopedia pages.  The girls love using my digital camera, and are
looking forward to earning as much money for 'extra' jobs as they can
while they are here ...

> I know you welcome any of us to write them and maybe
> someone will.  How about it, people?

The offer is _always_ open - for contributions of 'One-Point Lessons'. 
Fame and fortune awaits you!  (Well anyway, fame ...)

Dave

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From: Jack Reisland <reislandj001@hawaii.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 31 May 1999 17:57:18 +0000
Subject: [Baren 4493] Re: wood and sharpening supplies 

To Sylvia:
    Welcome, and as per your wood question; I was waiting for someone
with more experience to answer your question, but I will try. If you
look back through the archives of this discussion forum, you will find
some discussions about wood choices. As you are located in Ireland, you
have special challenges in locating wood that may be appropriate for
blocks. I guess that I would not recommend that you order shina plywood
from McClain's, as the shipping from Oregon on wood would probably be
more than the wood itself. It would be difficult to recommend specific
woods without knowing what is available in your area. However, I would
recommend that you go to local hardwood retailers, and see what they
have. Look at both plywoods, and lumber. Compare grain textures, poke
the wood with a fingernail to compare hardness, compare weight, and
costs. On plywood, look to see how thick the face veneer is (if it's
thin, as it usually is, you will be mostly carving the core woods). If
the guy in the lumber yard is nice enough to let you have some different
scraps, take them home and try them out with your tools.
    I recently moved to Hawaii, and just went through this procedure.
There are many woods here that I have never run into on the mainland US,
some local, and some coming from the Indonesian tropics. I was pleased
to find LARGE slabs of basswood at much better prices than the mainland,
and even better, a wood that is locally known as "Box Gum," that is
dense, fine grained, and carves very nicely.
   So, have fun, and explore.

To everyone else:
   The Japanese tools arrived from the nice gentleman in Canada, and
I've been playing with them. Very nice, boy what a difference from
European tools. Thank you, David, for putting him in touch.
   I have been staying away from the bar/cofee house, and will continue
to do so until I get rid of this nasty respiratory infection. I don't
want to spread any computer viruses.

Jack R.

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From: David Bull <davebull@woodblock.com>
Date: Tue, 01 Jun 1999 19:13:02 +0900
Subject: [Baren 4495] Sharpening alternatives ... 

Here's an interesting bit of information that was posted over on 
'After Five'.  I'm re-posting it here so that others can see it too ...

Tony Jordan wrote:
> I use ordinary Japanese chisels and sharpen them with 2500X 
> abrasive paper.

Gayle then asked:
> How do you use it, T. J.?  Does it work as well as sharpening stones?  

Tony replied:
> What I use is actually a very fine abrasive on mylar film with an 
> adhesive backing. It works very well for me. I hone my blades with 
> 9000X abrasive which gives an absolute mirror finish. For my gouges I 
> carve a profile of the blade into birch and rub a little fine honing 
> compound into the groove. I then rock the blade gently and evenly 
> from side to side. The results are great. I never use any type of 
> stone. 
> 
> These sharpening supplies are available @ Lee Valley.

Jack then added the address:
> http://www.leevalley.com

Tony, I'd _love_ to have an Encyclopedia page illustrating and describing
this process ...  The space awaits, for anytime that you've got time ... 

Dave

P.S.  For those of you who really like to think and plan ahead, I should
mention that [Baren Exchange 3] (that's the one _after_ the one 
currently under way) has now reached halfway in its registration
process - 15 of the 30 spots have been reserved ...

http://woodblock.com    and follow the 'Administration Links' section ...

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From: John and Jan Telfer <jtelfer@iinet.net.au>
Date: Tue, 1 Jun 99 20:08:49 -0000
Subject: [Baren 4496] Re: Baren Digest V7 #579 

Dear David,
>(Note for new members: the 'Who is Baren' page is available for any
>member who would like to show their prints to the group.  Contact me to
>see how we can get your prints up there!)

About ten days ago I sent you reproduction postcards of my woodblock 
prints that I exhibited in Oyama Japan in April 1998.  I hope they 
arrived safely.  I do not have a home page and my scanning abilities 
aren't 100% for including on the Baren web page...so I hope these will 
suffice.  I have sold several of each, but the most popular one is 
Endeavour Lifelines..I suppose because of its early links to Australian 
History.

Hiroshi Tomihari woodblock contemporary printmaker from Oyama Japan is 
currently here in Perth for the opening of his exhibition on 4th June at 
Gallery East in Fremantle.  He and his wife do not speak a lot of 
English, but can read it reasonably well.  I introduced them to Baren 
Woodblock Printmakers and he was very impressed.  He was not familiar 
with "surfing the net"!  I also zapped up your home page because of the 
Japanese translation but my computer doesn't have the Japanese 
Characters, but a weird configuration of "E" type symbols!!! So we went 
back to the English.  He and his wife, Yai will be here in Perth till 8th 
June, but not staying with me this time. 

Am I the only Australian registered at Baren?  I really do enjoy reading 
the Baren Digest and flipping over to all the Home Pages...I should 
really be working on my current woodblock rather than "surfing" but I 
have just finished a two day intensive workshop with French Calligrapher, 
Jean Larcher and feel rather exhausted!  Cheers, Jan

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End of Baren Digest V7 #580
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