[Baren} the mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking Baren Digest Tuesday, 30 May 2000 Volume 11 : Number1026 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Graham Scholes Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 21:16:46 -0800 Subject: [Baren 9824] Boot Camp. With the discussion that has been bantering around regarding "editioning" me thinks the workshop is going to be quite informative on matter greater than Hanga alone. If that is possible. Today we had a cancellation of one participant from Victoria..... So ..... we have an opening for one person First come first serve. Please let me know SAP If you would like to talk about the workshop via phone ..... send me your number and time that would be best to call you. He the web site re Workshop info. http://members.home.net/woodblocks/ You can peruse the accommodations at: http://members.home.net/3eagles/ Graham & Marnie ------------------------------ From: "john ryrie" Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 14:40:35 +1000 Subject: [Baren 9825] engraving Maria The best ink I have found for wood engravings is Lawrence ink. www.lawrence.co.uk John jryrie@one.net.au http://www.geocities.com/laddertree ------------------------------ From: gcarter@gsaix2.cc.gasou.edu (Greg Carter) Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 08:05:37 -0400 Subject: [Baren 9826] Re: even darker ages... >Hello, Barenworld! >Here's a bomb from Greece: >Is 'cutting' a block art or craft? I am sure that Dimitris's email was intended to get a reaction but I will take the bate. Though your questions and our answers are valid they are in the wrong order. It is important to begin with an individual work of art and have the dialogue come from it. There is no one answer for these questions because the answers will come from the art. I could easily answer yes and no to every one of your questions. For example, If the artist needs better tools to achieve effects in the wood that are necessary to make their work a success then the tools are necessary. I think you must agree with this since you have gone to the expense and trouble to use a very expensive tool to cut your new print. For me, there is nothing less artistic about a computer cutting a block verses a hand holding a tool. Both are just tools controlled by humans but I think the question should be how does the laser cutting relate to the image. One might say that the laser can cut any image so their is no specific aesthetic that comes from this device. I however think all tools leave there mark. Beyond the specifics of your individual work, I believe that it is important that an idea is transformed by the printmaking process in some way or it need not be print. If the ink that is transferred from the laser block dose not create an image that is a transformation of the drawing then it is nothing more than a reproduction. Though I like to aviod the opposition of Traditional vs.(fill in the Blank) because I think it can keep us for really seeing a work of art. I do, however, think it is very important to look at the past to guide us into the future. I think of Albrect Durer(Who I greatly admire ) as an example for this discussion. Though he incised his on engravings because he felt it was crucial for the prints, Durer did not cut most of his own blocks(if any). If we compare his engravings to his woodcuts we see two different aesthetics that are both very successful but are different. So in conclusion, this discussion is interesting but it is all just semantics outside the context of the work of art Greg Carter ------------------------------ From: David Bull Date: Tue, 30 May 2000 21:57:55 +0900 Subject: [Baren 9827] Re: laser cutting ... Dimitris wrote: > ... it will be cut on a laser cutter (much like a B&W printer > but with a laser beam instead of the usual head). Cutting blocks with a laser is becoming more and more common now (at least over here in Japan). Here are a couple of photos of one that I picked up at my local stationery shop a few years back. It's from a series of designs for New Year's cards ... http://woodblock.com/temporary/laser01.jpg http://woodblock.com/temporary/laser02.jpg Dave ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V11 #1026 *****************************