[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Friday, 10 September 1999 Volume 08 : Number 698 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 09:09:52 -0400 Subject: [Baren 5720] Re: Baren Digest V8 #697 > So they take a lot of trile > and era to get the hang of. John, I love how you write with an Australian accent. I can just hear you pronouncing these words. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie@aol.com Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 10:17:13 EDT Subject: [Baren 5721] critiques Speaking for myself, I prefer the private critiques - and agree with Gayle & Graham that even then, it is not easy to do, as one can be misunderstood when someone sees merely words and not the way in which they're said. That being said, I appreciate the the critiques I've gotten - thanks, folks! I received my paper from Graham, and it's so fancy I'm almost afraid to use it! I think I need a little more practice first, but I can see that it's definitlely worth the price- Best to all, Sarah ------------------------------ From: agatha Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 07:19:02 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5722] Re: Baren Digest V8 #697 feel free to begin your critique on my woodcut from the exchange. it is poorly printed, for starters- any ideas on how to avoid those blotches of color when doing reduction? there wasn't much left on the plate at that point, and the paper would just sink into the wrong places. i tried inking with a stencil and hand wiping, but to no avail. i know this print is not the greatest i have ever done, to be understated, and am open to the most honest criticism you all can muster. no, really. ------------------------------ From: Barbara Mason Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 07:55:23 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5723] various things About Ray's Gallery: I sent him work and saw pictures of the gallery, I think it is a good thing and can't hurt to have a gallery on the other side of the country on the resume and may help some kids. Ray seems genuine to me and after all it really is only paper and frames and I can make more so am taking a chance that this work will do good. Sara: You could use some tape in the areas the paper falls into, white artists tape works for me, just clean the area fairly well and run a piece of tape across as a bridge. You can change it for each print if you get ink on it. If you run it across the entire block it will be easier to use as will probably stick on the edges easily. I have blocked off half of a plate to print using this tape many times and it works well, you have to get it in exactly the same place to use it like a printing block out though so using it as a bridge should be easy. I read so many messages on Baren after not reading them for a few days (art fair) that I have forgotten what I wanted to comment on...probably just as well. I did enjoy all the prints on all the sites that were mentioned in the last week, we are an amazing group! Congratulations to everyone on their work! I was so impressed! Greg: You are a national treasure as far as those of us who suffered (and learned) at Graham's are concerned! I could hear you saying that and got my laugh for the week. It almost revived me after that 3 day out door fair. I have great respect for artists who make their living selling out of a tent, it was such a lot of work. I got your message three times and it was just as funny each time. But I wonder why I got so many? Barbara ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 11:33:04 -0500 Subject: [Baren 5726] Re: plans for a press.. Thanks to Arye, Philip and the others that replied to my interest in a home-grown press. Yes, Graham, it would be a fun project to undertake! I am thinking about it. Call me crazy, or whatever, but after I left work yesterday I stopped at my local library (the benefits of living in a big city!) and pulled up the film for an old issue of Popular Mechanics (Nov-Dec 1966), in there I found plans for a moving bed press by the same M. Banister that Arye mentions. I remember looking at photos of the presses in Mr. Banister's book last year, but gave up looking for the plans. Now I have them ! ( after $2.00 worth of xeroxing). The book is also at the library. The dimensions are about 14" wide by 36" long weighing in at about 150lbs. It will let you do all kinds of printing by adjusting the top roller. It basically calls for lot of angle iron work & welding to build a metal frame & slide assembly. The top & bottom rollers are built from 3" pipe and turned on a lathe.....and the whole thing is driven by a bunch of gears riding on bronze bushings. Piece of cake! Lots of the parts can be substituted with things found at your hardware store or at a Home Depot type place..... Then of course a quicker solution would just be to put my woodblock on my garage floor and run over it with my Pontiac! Let you know what I come up with during the weekend! Thanks....Julio ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne N. Chase" Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 13:38:26 -0400 Subject: [Baren 5728] Re; Ray.s Gallery I second what Maria and Barbara have to say regarding Ray Esposito's Gallery for the Brass Ring Society. Ray is a very ambitious and charitable man. I support him all the way on this endeavor. Anyone who is interested can contact him via his Brass Ring Society. I believe Maria gave his e mail, if not , it is; brassring@brassring.org He would consider anyone who would send him slides of their work. He sent me photos of the gallery and it is quite charming. It has three floors; one dedicated to his KIDS, one for the gallery and one for his studio and office. The money that he makes on the sale of prints goes to his charity. Of course the artists get their percentage. Some of us are also donating pieces off the top for his charity . So far I believe it is; Maria, Barbara and myself plus a few other not in Baren. Jeanne ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 10:36:21 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5729] Re: plans for a press.. Julio wrote: > the whole thing is driven by a bunch of gears riding on bronze > bushings. Piece of cake! Very heavy and precise solid steel rollers and bearings can be had from an old discarded copy machine. Try an equipment salvage yard or old equipment auctions. Jack ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 15:51:37 -0500 Subject: [Baren 5730] Re: Gill & Killion & more questions about engraving blocks Just wanted to take a minute to thank Georga, Jean, Gregory and the others who sent back feedback on Eric Gill &Tom Killion. I spent the last two evenings going over those books (YES Georga, I went back and picked up the Gill book; "Eric Gill, The Engravings" $40 at Powell's.). After hearing so much about Mr. Gill's personal views, family life & subject matter from fellow bareners, I guess I was not as surprised when browsing thru some of his work. You have to understand that this book is published by his nephew ( a Mr. Skellton) and supposedly contains every single piece of work attributed to Gill (hundreds of engravings, lettering & woodblocks) with a whole section dedicated to cross-referencing his work & list of books. One thing I guess I was not ready for were Gill's nude engravings of Christ with a big erection. Not your run of the mill religious theme! Also under the works titled "25 Nudes" I noticed that his signature ( a flowing capital "E" in top of a capital "G") appears reversed in the book. A separate large engraving of just this signature appears correctly on a separate page, yet all the nudes (white line drawings of females on a black background) have the signature reversed! I wonder if that was a slip of the publishers, or what am I looking at here. Could all the nudes be reversed ? does anybody know anything about this ? Or did the publisher reproduce the blocks themselves? Is good to know that Mr. Killion is still active and a presence in the California Art scene. Not sure how his current work compares with the prints on "The California Coast" but I like his style. I guess this is a subject we touched upon a while back and that is the idea that certain subject matter could be better suited to woodblocks than let's say watercolors, oils or other printing techniques, and it is how the artist approaches the subject matter and interprets the lines of the work that can either make it a successful woodblock print or a print that just imitates a painting...... and misses the characterisitc look & feel of a woodblock print. Just as I admire Dave's work for his fine detail and soft pastel-like delicate shadings, Graham's work for his great use of color and his ability to blend shades into fantastic landscapes, I also enjoy Killion's work for his straight approach to "line" work and his interpretation of the environment around him thru the use of the woodblock technique. One last question here, has anyone outhere ever tried engraving on the basswood rounds sold at art & hobby stores for wood-burning....those basswoods rounds that still have the bark on the edge and sometimes are used for clocks-on-the-wall, wood-burning patterns, etc...they are cut the same as engraving blocks, and except for the middle section they look serviceable, very fine cross-grain and finely sanded....maybe toooo soft a wood for engaving.....prices range from $3.99 for 6" X 6 X 1 round all the way to $12 for one about 10" X 10 X 1............just a thought. I picked a small one up today and I will put my graver to work tonight...I'll let you know the results.... Thanks....Julio ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 16:13:16 -0500 Subject: [Baren 5731] Re: plans for a press.. Jack wrote: >Very heavy and precise solid steel rollers and bearings can be had from an old >discarded copy machine. Now that's the kind of thinking that made this country great!. I had not thought of old copying machines but that's a great idea. The roller assemblies & feed mechanisms could perhaps be adapted or stripped out to make for the workings of a small press.... you might even be able to cannibalize it and run the whole thing with Mr. Edison's juice if you have the right type (or is that the left type?) of brain & patience for putting such a thingie together.... Thanks Jack! Keep them coming......I am on my way to the science surplus store tonight..... Julio ------------------------------ From: Jack Reisland Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 11:55:09 +0000 Subject: [Baren 5732] Re: plans for a press.. Yes! I picked one up at a garage sale a while back for $15. Besides the rollers, I salvaged a lot of gears and drive chain and motors with the idea of making an etching press some day. Now it's lost in a pile of boxes somewhere in the garage, while I work on barens instead. Anyway, there are indeed a lot of the components that one needs to make a driven press. Jack ------------------------------ From: Wanda Robertson Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 15:32:18 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5733] Re: plans for a press.. Gregory Robison had photos of a small press made by his father from the rollers out of an old copy machine. It was small & portable (which Greg really needs) and lightweight. And non-electric. It has a handle from (I believe) an old washing machine wringer. Maybe Greg could get some of the info from his Dad on the makings of it. Wanda ------------------------------ From: "shannon Parsons-DePry" Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 16:11:14 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5734] woodcuts and printing Hi, Daryl DePry from Vegas. My question is when proofing or printing a woodcut on an etching press (Griffin) is it best to wet or soak the paper? If so, what paper do you suggest? If dry printing is better what paper do you recommend? ------------------------------ From: "Philip Smith" Date: Fri, 10 Sep 1999 16:22:21 -0700 Subject: [Baren 5735] Re: Gill & Killion & more questions about engraving blocks Julio,...Basswood, very expensive wood to be sure,..then again, if you've never tried bass wood,...it's very soft,..box wood is the first choice of wood engravers, ala it's mostly impossible to find,..but maple works, so do some cherry woods,...if you can't find an old tree you can liberate a limb from,..someone is aways dumping an old piece of furniture at the dump,..take a leg then slice it up like salami, square the edges and wood-glue it to somesort of substraight,..you'll have to belt sand the surface once dried, but it does work,................$12 for a 10 by 10?????,...alot of my stuff has been done on beachwood,......[wood found at the beach]... good luck Julio...Philip ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V8 #698 ***************************