[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking. Baren Digest Monday, 17 January 2000 Volume 10 : Number 864 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Gayle Wohlken Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 09:06:41 -0500 Subject: [Baren 7757] Re: Baren Digest V10 #863 Bea, I just perused your website and love that smokey romantic photo of you on the main page. Your gardens are beautiful, your family is beautiful and talented, and my gosh you are quite the woman with all your achievements. I sent a card to my sister and told her we are going to meet you come summer. Jim will adore those gardens!!! I admire your airy woodcut style, so like the energy of a butterfly and warmth of sunlight. Matt, welcome. I hope we get a chance to see some of your work. You'll feel right at home here. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 11:21:20 -0800 Subject: [Baren 7760] tree exhibit Josephine, you mentioned that this exhibit was to be your "first solo"? Do you mean your first "curator solo"? Or are you going to incorporate the contributions for the exchange into one piece? No biggie, just a bit confused by your terminology. Could you clarify? Health to all, Maria ------------------------------ From: Studio Dalwood Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 07:49:25 +1100 Subject: [Baren 7761] Monsters, Language and Trees Hi all Maria, thanks for your answers re the monster prints, it is a lot clearer now. I wondered if you had experimented with different layouts for the printing. I was curious whether you had laid the paper on the carpet and placed the inked plate face down on the paper (the 'orientation' I mentioned meant face up or face down). I thought this method may have allowed some slight embossing from the carpet and protected the plate more. I also wanted to be sure how you did it ready for next time someone asks me if I know how it can be done, which is what happened to me last year. I told them then to use a car but could not provide any details how it was done, I can now. As for language, I am english born and as far as possible use english spellings such as colour and cheque. Australian english uses english english with some american bastardisations and some australian ones, plus a lot of migrant contributions from everywhere else. American corruptions are creeping into australian text even more these days due to the usage of microsoft word which has the spell checker default set to an american dictionary and most people do not have the wit to realise this or to change the default. *sigh* Where possible I use the oxford english dictionary for correct usage as I am a pedant. On e-mail I just type away but mostly I hope it is correct english occasionally coloured with Australian slang. I enjoy JR's flirtations with postmodern english and find it is catching sometimes which amuses me. By first major solo I meant that this is my personal first major non-group show featuring a specific body of mine own art works to a theme. This represents two years development on my part. Adding baren collaborations would effectively make this a non-solo show to a pedant like me. But as I still hold sole curatorial control this does not worry me. Does this help clarify things? I found your question equally confusing. I find the internet a marvelous opportunity to disseminate information across cultures. But I also find that communications are not always as clear or direct as we think they are merely through anomolies in language usage. Semiotics again. We can only keep trying. There have been a lot of positive responses to my idea for sacred trees which pleases me. I was in trouble again from the boss for sharing the foundation of my latest body of (two years) work with you. He is worried that someone may 'steal' my idea and thus undermine the originality of my work when I show it later in the year. I would be upset if this happened but I also assured him that [baren] members would not stoop so low, that you are more noble than that. I believe this, otherwise I would not have shared with you. So far, 14 people including myself have expressed favour with this idea. Jean, jeanne, brad, maria, julio, johnR, wanda, christy, jandi, gayle, jan (offlist) georga and sarah. I think thats right? Is that enough to go with the theme? Josephine ------------------------------ From: Mary Krieger Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 15:10:34 -0600 Subject: [Baren 7763] Re: Monsters, Language and Trees Tell the boss not to worry. Ideas can't be stolen, only shared. :) What makes an image or an exhibition strong is not simply an idea but how that idea is expressed and explored in the physical world. Even if every single one of us on Baren went ripping into the studio and emerged months or years later with a sacred tree exhibition, it would be pretty doubtful that those exhibitions would bear much resemblance to your upcoming show. I suppose if we all made car prints in hope of being on CNN, those who were slower on the mark would have to come up with increasingly novel twists on the large printing techniques - printing with steam rollers, printing with WWII tanks, printing with ??? But even so the artistic merit of the first or the last is up to the individual execution of the image. Isn't it wonderful to be able to share our knowledge with each other secure that our treasure is locked up in an unassailable storehouse - our own body and spirit. Mary Krieger ------------------------------ From: dimitris grammatikopulos Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 15:38:54 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 7765] Re: Monsters, Language and Trees As I believe that I have something to say about sacred trees,I would love to take part in Exchange #6! If that's OK with you,people!, regards, Dimitris ------------------------------ From: Maria Arango Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 16:06:00 -0800 Subject: [Baren 7766] cutting & clearing detail Dave, in your Surimono how-to pages, specifically http://www.w.com/surimono/process_2.html you have these triangles cut out at some junctions of lines. > The small triangles cut out here and there show those places where two > cut lines meet. These triangles are cut away because the clearing tools > to be used later will not fit into those corners. Is this to make room for the rear of the aisuki so that it will not crush the lines when clearing? Do you cut these little triangles _and_ clear them with the to? Thanks, Maria ------------------------------ From: Chloe T LeMay Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 20:17:59 -0500 Subject: [Baren 7767] Re: Monsters, Language and Trees Dear Josephine, I, also, think that the sacred tree theme is an excellent one. I have an idea for it and I would like to enter. I am new to the group, so I am not sure how I am obligating myself. What kind of time-line are we talking about? Curtis ------------------------------ From: Chloe T LeMay Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 20:43:29 -0500 Subject: [Baren 7769] Re: boxwood substitute How and where can I get this wonderful stuff, Resingrave? How much does it cost? I have a first-born daughter to trade; strong back, good teeth. Curtis ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2000 18:17:40 -0800 Subject: [Baren 7770] Re: boxwood substitute Curtis, Hope this stuff is not so expenxive you have to trade your daughter. It is probably available through Graphic Chemical in Chicago, a printmaking supply house or McClain's in Oregon. Graphic Chemical has a web site, McClain's does not. there are probably other companies handling it, maybe someone on your coast knows. It is pretty expensive and seems to come in small sizes. It is epoxy plastic (phenolic) with a coating of epoxy enamel paint. I am sure it is some unavailable formula but that is the basic component of it. Barbara ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 13:50:31 +0900 Subject: [Baren 7771] Re: cutting & clearing detail Maria (I Wannabe a Printmaker) wrote: > Dave, in your Surimono how-to pages, specifically > http://www.w.com/surimono/process_2.html > you have these triangles cut out at some junctions of lines. > Is this to make room for the rear of the aisuki so that it will not > crush the lines when clearing? Do you cut these little triangles _and_ > clear them with the to? Hello Maria (I Thought You Wuz a Printmaker), This is cute, the lady busy making some of the world's largest prints - with grinding wheels no less - is asking me about a tiny detail of some of the world's most delicate prints! Just what is it you are planning for your _next_ project Maria? The little triangles are indeed cut with the toh - one's wrist flips back and forth as the knife is used to slice and then pop out the triangle at the end of each line, and at each 'intersection'. Part of this is to ensure that the actual end of any line becomes visible, so that it is not damaged during subsequent clearing stages. In the case of the 'intersections' though, it is to allow an 'entrance' where the tip of a small aisuki can slide in without touching the line itself. Another reason is to help with general visibility - if these triangles aren't popped out, the only aftereffect of the carving with the toh is a bunch of striations on the wood surface - you can't really see well what's been carved and what hasn't. As to the 'rear' of the aisuki, yes it is extremely important to keep this away from the cut lines. In the early days I had a lot of trouble with this, levering away at the wood here and there, not realizing that I was crushing the edge of some of the lines underneath the chisel. (By the way, the first proof print of surimono print #10 is now up on the web site, and all of you (except collectors!) can now see the first set all together ...) http://w.com/surimono/1999/1999album.html *** Dan wrote: > Being new, I'm terribly curious about all ya'll. I would love to see a > survey of all Bareners that want to participate. Interesting idea Dan, but I think we would get into a situation with an avalanche of emails here ... Do you have access to a web site where you could put up your survey questions, with maybe a form they could fill in to answer? That way, you can simply give us a URL, those members who are interested could visit the page, and you could then report any interesting findings to the group later. If you don't have such a place, maybe one of the other members would work together with you ... *** I've been remiss in greeting new members recently, sorry! One posting specifically caught my eye ... Kevin wrote: > I have wood, paper, pointy metal objects, pigment and paste.=A0 = > This weekend, into the fray! I don't know anything about your work yet Kevin, but I like the attitude - - pointy metal objects indeed! Go for it! Dave ------------------------------ From: Studio Dalwood Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2000 17:02:35 +1100 Subject: [Baren 7773] more stuff Hi guys I took time out this morning to nip to the post box and there was a bulgarian beasty squashed in the back of the box. He is now resting between the leaves of a book being flattened. Very nice beasty too. I have had so much fun with this exchange, thankyou everyone. David I was reading your newsletter in bed this arvo. Thankyou. It was in with the little beastie you see. I was wondering about your comments on content. I agree that the final piece of art should be uplifting and add to the beauty of the world. Not very PC in art-crit circles but my opinion nethertheless. It is possible to make a work of art, (a term which implies beauty IMO) and have something to say as well. So I guess I'm one of those other people you mention. There's nothing wrong with making pretty pictures at all. I think that there is enough pain and uglyness in the world without making ugly art. In that we agree I think. The beauty of the mark, the hue, the exquisite empty spaces. Re where to live. My problem too. How about oz? Wide open spaces, raw beauty, strange natives, the light! And not too far to hop on a plane to nippon now and then. My other suggestion is start a workshop/collective and share space/rent. No doubt you have considered this already. Nuff from me. Now to cook dinner. A woman's work is .. Josephine ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V10 #864 ****************************