[Baren]: The mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking.

Baren Digest                Sunday, 2 April 2000        Volume 11 : Number 957

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From: Ruth Leaf <ruth@ruthleaf.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 08:29:29 -0700
Subject: [Baren 9091] Re: Baren Digest V11 #956 

Maria and all those who contributed to Baren Suji  congratulations .
What a wonderful effort.  Ruth
http://www.ruthleaf.com

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From: Wanda <robertson@canby.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 09:17:02 -0800
Subject: [Baren 9092] Re: technical assistance 

Dan, I've really been thinking about this question. Since my first
experience with water-based woodblock printmaking was at Graham's
workshop last year - doing it with the brushes is the only way I have
experienced it.

Is this woodblock?  What kind of water-base color are you using? What
kind of paper?

The roll-on technique and the brush-on technique are so different. With
a roll-up, the pigment usually stays up on the printing surface &
doesn't go down into the hills and valleys of the block. With the
brushing technique- the pigment covers the block pretty completely and
you need good lighting to be sure you haven't missed some crucial part
of the design.

So give us a little more information & maybe someone can come up with
some tips or encouragement or tell you not to do it. ;-)

Wanda

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From: B Mason <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 09:41:06 -0800
Subject: [Baren 9093] printing 

Dave and Wanda too,
I have been thinking about what you were talking about, how the printing
goes better if you are decisive and take control. I think this is what
is called focus.
A lot of students of martial arts achieve this through dicipline and
meditation. If you are truly focused on your work and relaxed in the
focus, not forcing it, you are in control of your work. My son is a sefu
kung fu instructor, shaolin, and he says several times in his practice
time has slowed down for him. Meaning he moved so fast it seemed to him
things around him were moving slowly. He says it is an amazing
experience and his companions said they did not even see him move, but
he was suddenly out of the way of their punch or kick.
Printing is quite a meditative process and one of the wonderful things
about printing by hand is the methodical motion and the concentration of
your body working and your mind hovering. Maybe if we all take up
meditation we will be better printers. It sure can't hurt!
Barbara

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From: James G Mundie <jimandkatemundie@juno.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 13:50:51 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9094] brayer and wet paper 

Daniel wrote:
>  "rolling" on the ink with damp paper printing.  

I am assuming you mean ink - as in oil-based stuff applied with a brayer,
or water-based stuff formulated to act like the oil-based stuff - and not
the waterborne pigment with paste used in hanga.

It can be done, but you want to make sure that the paper you are using
has been sized.  Otherwise, the tack of the ink rolled onto the block
will shred your dampened sheet to pulp, and you'll be picking shreds of
paper out of the ink.

Good luck!

James Mundie
Philadelphia USA
http://www.delart.org/biennial2k.htm

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From: "Daniel L. Dew" <ddew0001@tampabay.rr.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 14:19:55 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9095] Re: brayer and wet paper 

Thanks for the helpful hint.  Hate picking paper out of the cracks  (leave
it alone Graham).
Willing to try brush, just scared about that mixing past stuff.

P.S. how's the swap shop coming?

Dan Dew
Anxious in Tampa

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From: Gregory Robison <grobison@swiftuganda.com>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 23:10:58 +0300
Subject: [Baren 9096] Re: printing 

Kampala, 1 April 2000

I'm grateful to Barbara for raising the point about printing requiring focus
or concentration.  I have gradually, reluctantly, grudgingly accepted the
evidence of my own life, and the wisdom of many ancient traditions, that
excellence demands a degree of attention which, in turn, requires
eliminating as many competing claims on our consciousness as possible.  For
this reason I never work with music playing in my studio.  If I did, I could
not give full attention the the enjoyment of the music as well as to the
artistic task at hand (whether it's printing, cutting a block, drawing, or
whatever).   In fact, I've come to realize that any higher brain function --
and in art, we're definitely in the inner chambers of the neocortex -- we
can probably do two things at once, but not three and definitely not four --
at least not at very high levels of performance.  And the problem is this:
we can't really turn off our discoursive cognitive functions (i.e.,
thinking), so no matter what we're "concentrating" on, we're also thinking.
We're already and always doing two things at once, however many other things
we may deliberately cut out.  So if in addition to thinking and the task at
hand we add music, or listening to a friend's problems, or watching the
lovely sunset, or having a great dinner, or listening to a talk show on the
radio, or whatever, we don't really do justice to any of them.  Oh, yes, we
do all of them at some level of appreciation or performance or
understanding, no doubt.  And we justify this split attention to ourselves
in so many ways: "the music is great, my friends are dear, I can pay
attention to both...and also taste that lovely lark's-tongue-in-aspic
appetizer... and besides, I don't have time to do one thing at a time...and
having the radio on is just background for me..." etc., etc.  I know these
excuses because I myself live by them even now.   But, alas and Oh dear,  I
no longer believe my own excuses!  I know I have to learn to concentrate.

Gregory Robison

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From: "Jean Eger" <jeaneger@LanMinds.Com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 13:10:21 -0800
Subject: [none]

Maria, I am doing back flips with delight about the first issue of Baren
Suji.  Congratulations on getting it all together!
Jean Eger

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From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 14:23:25 -0800
Subject: [Baren 9098] Re: Focus  

> we can't really turn off our discoursive cognitive functions (i.e.,
> thinking), so no matter what we're "concentrating" on, we're also thinking.

Indeed! As a former Psych major married to a Ph.D. Psychologist, I can also
attest for the interference factor between right brain functions and left
brain functions. Artists are better off when they leave the left brain out
of their artistic business and allow the creative side to work on its own
without verbalizations, even in thought.
Further interference from our cognitive centers interrupts the flow of the
so called "automatic" tasks that are no longer in "need" of a thought
process. Such tasks are things like shooting a free-throw in basketball,
hitting the crack of the floor/wall in racquetball, or, presumably, printing
a series of prints. Learning is a painful process for the brain and these
perfected tasks require at first following precise instructions, then much
practice and more practice and much more practice yet. Think you know it
yet? Practice more.
Once the learning takes place, though, the tougher step of "letting it go"
must be taken. Letting it (the task control) go from our cognitive awareness
into that higher realm of consciousness that has been termed "flow" in
modern times.
No longer should we think, "I'm going to put this diagonal emphasis on my
drawing," or "this empty space needs to be balanced by an area on the
opposite side." We should be at the point, someday, of _just_ drawing,
composing without thinking, and knowing confidently that what we draw must
be right. At that point, we become better artists.
Printing, even carving, are similar tasks. Get to understand the process
well, how the wood and the paper behave, how the fibers of the paper take
the pigment under the baren. Approach with confidence and shut the left
brain off; you know how to do this, just let the hands take over--let the
artist or the craftsman do his/her thing.
IMHO, of course.
Health to all,
Maria

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From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 14:25:26 -0800
Subject: [Baren 9099] tks  

Thanks Phillip, Jean, Bea, Ruth, Jim for your nice comments on Baren-Suji.
Well worth the effort, and as for the second issue, do not worry! It is
already shaping up.
Maria

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From: Studio Dalwood <severn@acay.com.au>
Date: Sun, 02 Apr 2000 09:55:44 +1000
Subject: [Baren 9101] Suji and an Australian Exhibition 

Suji 
Yep
A good start.
Good One Maria - lots of hard work there. 
Thanks to the contributors too!
****************

Another show running concurrently is by an Australian painter named
Salvatore Zofrea. My present, of course, was the catalogue of his
show. He carved 100 woodblocks over 5 years, a series called
Apassionata. His family
life in post war Italy and the migrant experience and his own life.
THese are big blocks, loosely carved and printed in black and white.
Oily prints. He sees himself as a painter so the editioning was all done
by a Sydney printmaker. It took me ages to find the technical
printmakers information in the cattledog.

Josephine
Sydney, Australia
(Still drooling)

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From: judy mensch <mensch@interport.net>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 19:14:40 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9102] Re: Baren-Suji - April 2000 

Maria: Baren Suji is absolutely fabulous.  Thank you so much. You did a
great job. Judy

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From: B Mason <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Sat, 01 Apr 2000 17:36:46 -0800
Subject: [Baren 9103] post office 

Jim,
You are so right about the postal workers. when I picked up #4 no one
was in the post office except me, hard to believe, but temporarily true.
I opened the portfolio and we had a little mini print show. Everyone
came out to see them and all were very interested. so you never know
when an educational opportunity will happen. they always ask me about it
when I go in now, and want to know when I will be receiving more
"prints". Just realised your post was to Prints L but think the baren
would be more interested in this post, so pretend it came on that list.
Barbara

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From: Gary Luedtke <GLuedtke@compuserve.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 22:00:57 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9105] tks charset=ISO-8859-1 

Outstanding job on Baren-Suji Maria!   Very readable and reader friendly.

And to all who contributed, a great job also!   

Gary
KC
USA

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From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" <studiojnc@prodigy.net>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 23:24:28 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9110] No personal e mail but...... 

Dan

I am going to write an article about having an Open Studio, for the next
Baren newsletter and Barbara is busy with the news re; books on printmaking.
Would you write the article on the Miami Print Conference for Marias next
Baren Sushi?  Barbara and I both have pics so we could mail those to Maria
or to you. With your great sense of humor it could be another "Andy
Rooney"!!!!!!

And what are you doing up so late anyway????

Jeanne

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From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" <studiojnc@prodigy.net>
Date: Sat, 1 Apr 2000 23:31:04 -0500
Subject: [Baren 9112] Maria charset="iso-8859-1" 

Maria

Congratulations on a job well done. I know that many hours of work went into
the making of it. It is put together very well and a great read. Anything I
can do to help, just hollar!!!!  Kudos!!!!!!

Jeanne N.

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From: baren_member@woodblock.com (Gerald Soworka <chockings@dingoblue.net.au>)
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 2000 07:51:44 -0400 (EDT)
Subject: [Baren 9113] Re: skokie exhibit 

Message posted by: Gerald Soworka <chockings@dingoblue.net.au>

Just wanted to add my voice to the congratulations to Julio 
for the Skokie Library exhibition. I won't see it in the 
flesh, but the it seems like a very nice promotion for 
printmaking and the Baren group.

Well done to all who participated in the exchange and Julio 
for organizing the showing.

Gerald

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End of Baren Digest V11 #957
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