[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Wednesday, 9 June 1999 Volume 07 : Number 588 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 09:25:27 EDT Subject: [Baren 4557] methyl cellulose, etc. somebody wrote: > where does one get methyl cellulose, and how scentiful is the ol' m.c. > rated on the spectrum between rice paste and paint thinner aromas? welcome Kat - I am extremely sensitive to fumes & chemicals, so believe me, I was very happy to find out about water-based printmaking. Methyl cellulose has a scary sound to the name, but it really doesn't smell like anything, and neither does rice paste. As far as I know, neither methyl cellulose nor rice paste are toxic - some people prefer methyl cellulose because it doesn't mold as easily as rice paste. You should be able to find methyl cellulose somewhere that would have papermaking supplies, etc. It will probably come as a powder, but you just dilute it w/water. I forget the ratio of mc to water, maybe 7 parts water to 1 part mc - anyone out there? I just sort of mix it til it's the consistency I like. Rice paste I can buy in little tubes in a Japanese market here in NYC, I'm not sure where you'd find it in your neck of the woods - I'm sure others will have some further suggestions - Sarah ------------------------------ From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Tue, 08 Jun 1999 09:58:02 -0400 Subject: [Baren 4558] Re: Baren Digest V7 #587 Welcome to Pat. I enjoyed your website and bookmarked it as I only looked at the relief prints this time around. I'm interested in knowing how you work, toolwise. Maybe you could give us a play by play? Your style is full of energy. I like the little skeleton in a coffin print as I'm interested in Mexican Day of the Dead imagery. I have done a woodcut of a skeleton in a pose of meditation, as well as one of death serving a dying man a cup of something hot to drink. The title is "One Lump, or Two?" The very tall piece you did with the woman in the woods is quite stunning. You mentioned about everyone on this site doing hanga style prints. A lot do, and some of us are still doing oil based prints. However, I think we all want to learn hanga style and are dipping a toe into those waters. * * * Jean, thanks for showing the Kieffer prints. That skeletal horse!!!! Yess!! Wonderful texture of the wood showing, too. And "Der Rhein"'s mysticism reminds of a a John Constable watercolor sketch; wonderful dark and light play. Gayle ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne N. Chase" Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 16:46:00 -0400 Subject: [Baren 4560] Nice to have you on board the Baren Kat!! Don't let all of those watercolorists scare you off, there are a lot of us old greasy oil based woodblock printmakers out here. I personally love the smell of turps and oils. Join us in the After Five Group , we need a lively one around here!!! Jeanne (with an ne), since we have 2 Jean's here. ------------------------------ From: SylTaylor@aol.com Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 18:22:26 EDT Subject: [Baren 4561] greetings from nippy Ireland... Hi Everyone, Reading about the heat wave in America has made me happy indeed to be here where I still am wearing a wool shawl to go out. I have been out of town and coming home to so many messages was quite something. There are so many street pageants and arts festivals going on now. I wish you all could see the rich visual imagery that I just saw in Sligo, on the west coast of Eire. Imagine trapeze artists in the countryside with a backdrop of wild emerald mountains... Welcome Kat, I also enjoyed your relief prints--and your sense of humour. I also am new to this group, and have done plenty of linocuts but not too many woodblocks. I'd like to learn this hanga technique that everyone is talking about. I currently work in oil based inks but the studio I work in has gone green (for the most part), so I don't have to worry about fumes. We clean up with vegetable oil. Sheryl, Thank you for your comments on post modernism limitations and such. I totally agree with you! Although I complain about the struggle with this paradigm, I recognise and appreciate the mental exercise. Yes, it is valuable to be familiar with the obsessions of one's time, as you say. It is also true that many, if not most of the MFA students that I know, are seeking the Masters Degree not to better themselves as artists per se, but to create marketability for themselves in the art field. Especially for teaching beyond high school, it seems that one needs to have skills and credentials beyond that of being a great artist. I really love the program I am in. I am learning so much in a very self-directed way. Jim, I would be delighted to meet you and your wife when you come to Belfast! Do you have your dates ironed out yet? I'll be travelling some of July but hopefully we can sort something out. Have you ever been to Belfast before? I actually live in Bangor, which is north of Belfast, and my husband and I have a Chiropractic practice in Warrenpoint, which is south of Belfast. Elizabeth, I've visited 4 printmaking studios here so far, 2 in the North, and 2 in Dublin. I have information about 2 more on this island, and then there are plenty in England and Scotland which are very close by ferry. It's hard for me to compare printmaking here to the States because my experience was so limited there. I can tell you that the vast majority of printmakers here are into collograph, monoprint or intaglio. I haven't met any woodblock people...yet anyhow. I am working on a relief press that is a couple hundred years old. It's a gorgeous giant. I now would also like to learn to use my baren and print at home (in my flat) some. The studio atmosphere has been so nice I would hate to give that up. In every one I've visited the artists have been very friendly and helpful beyond the call of duty. I'm curious about the print workshops I've been hearing about in Italy. How do you find out about them? (Or any in Europe for that matter.) Cheers! Sylvia ------------------------------ From: "Lezle Williams" Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 17:42:37 -0500 Subject: [none] Sylvia, This link will take you to lots of information on non-toxic printmaking and also has a variety of workshops listed. http://www.mtsu.edu/~art/printmaking/workshops.html Lezle ------------------------------ From: "John/Michelle Morrell" Date: Tue, 8 Jun 1999 18:07:40 -0800 Subject: [Baren 4566] Dave's tapes Egads, Saturday I thought I got my act together and sent out Dave's tape of his being featured on a Japanese TV station feature interview. I sent it to Georga with mailing labels for Arafat in Bulgaria and Judy Mensch. Alas, we are moving this summer and in a fit of tidiness I threw out my scraps of paper with their addresses on them. Today in the mail I received Dave's other tape, and no longer have the addresses. I never had the e-mail addresses. So--Georga, Judy, and Arafat in Bulgaria: would you kindly resend me your postal addresses if you would like to see this tape. It is entitled David Bull and the Hyakunin Issbu, and is the one I wanted to see in the first place, and probably the one you all wanted most to see also. Sorry about this. Also, there is no indication to where to return these tapes. We need a final return address for them! For you spoon bareners--I used to use two wooden drawer knobs screwed together. Made a fine spoon type baren with much better control. Sent away for a Japanese baren (from Daniel Smith, I think) but it was clearly unusable, so remained with the knobs for years. You might try it. Drawer knobs come in a wide variety of sizes. Best regards, Michelle Morrell - jmorrell@ptialaska.net ------------------------------ From: Aqua4tis@aol.com Date: Wed, 9 Jun 1999 00:58:35 EDT Subject: [Baren 4567] Re: Dave's tapes hi i received the tape yesterday and enjoyed it very much it was wonderful and very inspiring thanks dave and everyone ill be looking forward to the next one who gets the tape next? judy or arafat? ill get it in the mail in a day or two this is a great group and im happy to be a part of it georga ------------------------------ From: John and Jan Telfer Date: Wed, 9 Jun 99 14:16:27 -0000 Subject: [Baren 4568] Re: Baren Digest V7 #586 "Baren Digest" Dear Graham, re: Keith Howard. He wrote a text book for the Canadian School for Non-Toxic Printmaking at Grande Prairie Regional College called "NON-TOXIC INTAGLIO PRINTMAKING" ISBN 0-9683541-0-6 Reference Information is on the Internet at: http://www.mtsu.edu/~art/printmaking/non_toxic.html http://www.gprc.ab.ca/csnp/index.html http://claven.idbsu.edu/pages/howard/mfadegree.html OR email < howard@gprc.ab.ca > These sites will explain the processes more explicitly and more professionally than I. The acutal photosensitive film he used at the workshop here can be fixed onto any 'plate' surface, including my laminated wood blocks, because in the etching process is only film thickness deep and can be soaked off in a non toxic liquid and the same side of the block can be used again. This of course is very practical in a school or teaching situation where copper and zinc plates can become very expensive, but with wood of course, the couple of hours of soaking will deteriorate the wood, so it was my intention, rather than use my wood block to etch the film, but to carve through it...and this I have yet to try (because of other pressing committments). Please feel free to access the sites. Keith was a very good teacher and I am sure he would be happy to answer any queries. Graham, if you didn't get your BMW, or your BM, did you get your B? Jan ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 16:47:39 +0900 Subject: [Baren 4569] Re: Pass-around tapes Michelle Morrell wrote: > ... would you kindly resend me your > postal addresses if you would like to see this tape. > Also, there is no indication to where to return these tapes. We need a > final return address for them! It seems that we are about to have another rash of email messages back and forth about video tapes ... I've resisted doing this up until now, as I want to try and cut down on my 'bookkeeping' around here, but I guess I have to give in ... It's time to get these pass-around lists all under one controlled 'umbrella'. Any members currently holding one of the videos or CD-ROMs being passed around, or any member _waiting_ for such an item to arrive, please go to: http://woodblock.com ... follow the link to Administrative Links, and then to the page 'Pass-around Lists'. When you get there, please register your name and email address for the appropriate list, using the form on that page. >From now on, anybody who receives one of these items will simply have to refer to this page to find out who to send it to next ... and hopefully, we can keep the forum clear of this sort of administrative messages. (Michelle, I'm not even sure which of the two videos you are talking about. I've guessed which one, and put the names in place ... but I may be wrong. If so, then would the people involved simply register their desire with the form on that page.) Thanx! Dave ------------------------------ From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 07:31:47 -0400 Subject: [Baren 4570] Re: Baren Digest V7 #587 Does anyone know if McClain's is online? I can't find my catalog. Gayle ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V7 #588 ***************************