[Baren} the mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking Baren Digest Tuesday, 9 May 2000 Volume 11 : Number1002 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Philip Smith" Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 07:07:19 -0700 Subject: [Baren 9625] Re: Lynd Ward > Hi folks! Recently I had the good fortune to track down the woodcut novel > "Wild Pilgrimage" by Lynd Ward through abebooks.com. What an incredible Sarah,.....my little book,"The Illustrated Book, It's Art and Craft" by Diana Klemin gives one line of explination on Lynd Ward's tecnique,....".Lynd ward supplied prints from the original woodcuts for offset reproduction. The special quality of the woodcuts on the paper has been modified......". [Reduction is size I would think]. Ms Klemin mentions "God's Man", "Beowulf", "Idylls of the King", "For Whom the Bells Toll" and" Wild Pilgrimage". But she does go on to mention Lynd Ward worked in other mediums. One of my favorite book illustrators. Philip ------------------------------ From: Shireen Holman Date: Mon, 08 May 2000 10:23:22 -0400 Subject: [Baren 9626] Re: Lynd Ward At 08:46 AM 5/8/00 -0400, Sarah wrote: >Hi folks! Recently I had the good fortune to track down the woodcut novel >"Wild Pilgrimage" by Lynd Ward Lynd Ward's work is absolutely fantastic. A long time ago I was able to buy one of his prints, when prices were reasonable, and it's one of my most treasured possessions. He 'wrote' ('cut'?) several novels - I have a collection of them (reproduced), in a book called Storyteller Without Words. They are all wood engravings, oil-based, printed on a press. Here is part of a quotation of what he said about his work: "But more important than all this is the undeniable fact that working with a woodblock takes on the aspects of a struggle between antagonists. The wood is reluctant, the artist determined, and it is reasonable to suggest that the battle of wills brings about a result quite different from those media in which the hand of the artist moves brush or pencil or crayon freely over the working surface. With wood, every movement of the tool involves overcoming resistance and demands the use of a certain amount of sheer physical force. Every block and every subject is a new challenge. The result is an emotional involvement between man and material that, enduring over the years, somehow takes on the character of an addiction, or a love affair, or something similarly irrational. At any rate, there seems to be no known cure." Shireen ------------------------------ From: "Bill H. Ritchie, Jr" Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 08:01:24 -0700 Subject: [Baren 9627] I'm new, sort of Hi-I'm new, sort of. I participated in the baren forum a year or so ago. I got as far into it as to be one of the fortunates in the first portfolio. I confess I brag to people, "I was part of an on-line printmaking experience with woodblock printmakers worldwide." Seeing is believing. Imagine their surprise when the SEE THE PRINTS! My print (in #1, was at the Skokie Library) barely shows up but that's because I didn't help with the image file prepping I think. It's a very weird print, even in my own opinion. That's enough for now. I rejoined because I've always loved printmaking. Woodblock is wonderful and fantastic and probably has the power to save the Earth when enough people take up the art and craft of it and all its allied practices. That should make everyone happy. I hope I can stick around Baren longer now. Prof Bill H. Ritchie, Jr. ITinerate 500 Aloha #105 Seattle WA 98109 ------------------------------ From: John and Jan Telfer Date: Tue, 9 May 00 00:22:16 -0000 Subject: [Baren 9630] Jelatong wood >(From Ray H in Vermont). About the wood Jan mentioned--Jelutong--once in >Alaska I ordered some wide basswood but all the company could send was >jelutong. Thank you Ray. Yes, he is only using oil based inks in these prints and there is a photograph of Salvatore Zofrea standing beside the two piles of woodblocks and they are all about two inches thick, so that is probably what it is...I have never heard of it before. Even using magnolia for a block is new to me too...I might ask at our hardware. Horacio and John, Josephine may be able to scan some prints in for you ..I don't have that expertise, but will enquire. Jan ------------------------------ From: Graham Scholes Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 08:57:29 -0100 Subject: [Baren 9631] Jelutong wood (From Ray H in Vermont). >Jelutong-- I found it cut like butter but had so much oil in it I could >only print with oil inks. That wood is very soft, almost spongy.... A dream to carve I felt that you might get 10 to 20 prints and nothing could be of a keyline nature. Oil problem....... if you use it give it two coats of 50/50 Varnish. When dry..... at least 48 hrs, prime the palate with lots of rice paste getting the mix into the top surface of the wood Then start the printing. End of problem. Graham/Victoria BC An Island in the Pacific ------------------------------ From: Bella1yopp@aol.com Date: Mon, 8 May 2000 14:47:23 EDT Subject: [Baren 9632] Re: Lynd Ward > "But more important > than all this is the undeniable fact that working with a woodblock takes on > the aspects of a struggle between antagonists. The wood is reluctant, the Wow! I am saving this one for my future students and myself. My boyfriend, Jeff, has a first edition of God's Man... it is amazing. After we were dating for a while, he realized that what I do (woodblocks) is similar to what Ward did and he pulled out his favorite possession and showed me the book. He thinks it is really amazing that he loves a girl who creates woodblock prints. I do too. Amanda ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V11 #1002 *****************************