[Baren] the mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking Baren Digest Saturday, 15 July 2000 Volume 12 : Number1077 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Rich" Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 09:19:44 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10451] themes I have a story in response to Julio's quire on themes. When I finished = my degree at the University I had the opportunity to show my portfolio = to a museum curator. She spent a long time looking through my = collection of prints and drawing, landscapes, nudes, animals and = abstracts. When she was through she closed the portfolio, sat back and = said, "That was interesting but what do you do?" On further discussion she explained that she couldn't tell from my work = what I was about. What were my special interests. By focusing on what = I really cared about she said people would begin to associate me with my = work. After they had built that association in there minds I could = change my focus, experiment with other themes or media and they would = still recognize my style and have something to link me to in there = minds. Now I expect someone out there will be saying that's fine advice if your = concerned with what anyone else thinks about you or your work but not = relevant if you are only doing it for yourself. For myself however it = was a great relief. I had picked up the idea that it was important I = show that I could handle many media and subject matter. The thought = that it might be important to show only what I liked and work that = mattered to me hadn't occurred to me. I made deciding what to do next a = real problem. By telling me to follow my own heart and interests that = problem disappeared and freed me to develop a style all my own. I've = been making woodcuts of wildlife ever since. ------------------------------ From: "Elizabeth B. Atwood" Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:41:53 -0500 Subject: [Baren 10452] Reproductions I must add my indignation to the discussion of reproductions. It is especially disgusting when they dare to add edition numbers. After more than thirty years of printmaking, I have witnessed the usurping of the recognition of true printmaking by mass producers.........the duping of unwitting buyers. Living here in what one might call "Andrew Wyeth-Maine"......one is inundated with this outrageously priced work. BUT, we have Baren to help us applaud those in our group who are being successfully appreciated. Oh, I applaud all enthusiastic printmakers!! And I agree with Gayle that one would go on making prints even if they were not multiples. Julio mentioned "themes" and how one pursues them. I have often had the same question.......perhaps because I bore easily, I need to move on to other subjects. Someone said they had been required in their printmaking courses to develope themes. That makes me wonder if it is a learned method???? It looks interesting when someone else does it.........but, so far, I have been unable to force myself into that pattern. Maybe.."ADD????" To Barbara P. about xmas cards.......I ran out of time last year also. So, to the interest of all receivers of my originals over many years, I scanned up three that went well together and made my cards computer-wise. I was therefor not guilty of making a look-alike.........as if one could! Glad to see that Graham is still in good fighting form...........ElizA ------------------------------ From: Artsmadis@aol.com Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 13:26:22 EDT Subject: [Baren 10453] Fwd: online Bresdin show For those not on Prints-L, this is a great show so am forwarding the info. Dear Print Colleagues, The Bibliotheque nationale de France (the old building on the rue de Richelieu, not the new one) has installed an exhibition of prints and drawings by Rodolphe Bresdin (1822-1885), which runs until August 27. (For full disclosure, this is a project on which I collaborated, writing an essay on Bresdin's drawings for the catalogue.) What prompts this posting is the fact that they have also constructed what seems to me (being rather new to this) is a very impressive website that offers a virtual exhibition, illustrating just about every work on view in the actual exhibition. It is also quite snappily designed. The accompanying text is in French only, but the site still affords a chance to view a fine overview of Bresdin's obsessively detailed etchings, lithographs, and drawings, which are very rare and not often seen outside the few museums that own originals--there are numerous enlarged details, too. The reproductions seem very clear (even on my laptop) and an example of the Web's potential for print reproduction. www.bnf.fr/web-bnf/expos/bresdin/index.htm David Becker ------------------------------ From: Wanda Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:00:34 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10454] Re: "hanshita" and "kyogo" Cucamongie@aol.com wrote: > > Thanks Wanda & Dave, for your info on paper, "hanshita" & "kyogo" - Dave, what I had originally meant to be referring to Oops! I knew that - Dave told me it was called "kyogo" at boot camp, and I promptly forgot. :-) Well, I'm out of gum arabic, so I will try rice paste today - I'm sure they will both work better than Elmer's glue! Good luck! Let us know the results. Wanda ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:32:18 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10455] Re: pasties Wanda, I use either rice or wheat paste and non-traditional-el-americano tracing paper. Since the flimsy stuff won't go through my printer or copier a-la-Dave, I use carbon paper or graphite transfer paper to get multiple (aaaaaaaaaaaaagh, I said *multiple!*) copies of the key block design. You do have to be careful not to stretch the paper, but I have gotten pretty good at it with practice. The key, of course is to put the paste on the block, then lay your tracing on the block fast and slow at the same time ;-). I meant quickly and carefully, for those who don't speak Maria. I then smooth the paper with a rubber roller, very carefully not to tear it. The paper will wrinkle some, a scary sight, but so far I have not had rreeggiissttrraattiioonn pprroobblleemmss. Another choice is that spray mounting stuff, the reversible kind for mounting photographs and "fine prints"; since it is waterless, it works much better than the paste but I hate to keep making all those little holes in the Ozone. I will definitely have to try out Phillip's suggestion of that waterless paste. Most of the time I just load up the darned key block with ink and print it on successive blocks using mylar as a transferring matrix. Messier to clean up but perfect register on all the blocks. Of course most of the time I do reduction blocks which are easier to register than multip--do I dare?--muchos blocks prints. I think more than the pasting of the kyogos, another thing that caused me problems at first was the cutting of the kentos in succeeding blocks. Careful cutting is just as much a key factor in registration. Both the encyclopedia and Graham's site have a great illustrated guide to kento cutting. Health to everyone who is nice and polite, Maria :-) <><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango, Putt Putt Putting along... Las Vegas Nevada, USA, World, Galaxy, Universe http://www.1000woodcuts.com quest1000woodcuts@hotmail.com <><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 03:41:36 +0900 Subject: [Baren 10456] Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 11:45:23 -0700 Gary, Graham made money selling books about Watercolor, published by Watson Guptill. Now he makes money with a bed and breakfast business run by his wife because they have this beautiful piece of property in Canada and feel guilty about having such a nice place and not sharing it. That's what I have been able to figure out. More power to him. There's no virtue in poverty. As he keeps pointing out, the Canadian dollar is a bargain to the states people. (If only I had a few American dollars to take advantage of it...) When he gets ready to write his print book, then we can accuse him of being in it for the money. I can hardly wait. See, Roxanne, I just got let out of school and now I can't keep my mouth shut! It'll be a miracle if I get a job at this rate. Jean Eger P.S. The Utrecht people were very happy with my demonstration and said it was better than most. Yippee! I got $60 of art supplies for teaching art! I'm on my way! I think I'll go apply at the local junior college. ------------------------------ From: baren_member@woodblock.com (Margaret M. Szvetecz) Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 15:36:11 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Baren 10458] Themes Message posted by: Margaret M. Szvetecz I have been following this discussion on themes and coherency of work with some interest. Julio, I wouldn't worry about whether or not you are producing a unified body of work. It has been my experience that most artists produce a coherent body of work by a natural and sometimes even unconscious process. If the work doesn't show an overt unity via subject matter, it often shows a unity wirh regard to style and/or process, i.e. the existence (or non-existance) of imagery and whether it is literal or more suggestive, the size/scale relationships, the rhythm of mark-making, the use of color relationships, technique/tool use, the selection and use of materials, etc. It is true that some individuals more consciously explore the use of subject matter/imagery--for example, Maria with her figurative vases and Graham with his lighthouses, (not to say that both Maria and Graham don't explore other imagery). But I think I would stand a good chance of identifying one of Maria's prints by the rhythm of her marks, and Graham's by the way he uses color, even if both of these individuals displayed work exploring completely unexpected imagery. (Am writing this at work--must go back to being a good employee right now--bye!) Margaret (Szvetecz) szvetecz@alexia.lis.uiuc.edu ------------------------------ From: baren_member@woodblock.com (MikeLyon) Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 18:23:27 -0400 (EDT) Subject: [Baren 10460] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1076 Message posted by: MikeLyon Just wanted to express (my opinion) that our (sometimes VERY) different opinions are what make our exchange so interesting, and enlightening. But let's try to be assertive, not aggressive, and avoid personal attacks -- that way we can pull each other 'up' to better levels. And thanks to all for the new-to-me clever ideas on uses of gum arabic. Gallons of the stuff in the litho end of my studio and here I am clueless. You'll hate me for this, but years ago I got into lacquer thinner transfer of dry toner images (laser prints & photo copies) to paper and litho stones and plates, and I still frequently use the same method to apply copies of my key image to multiple wood blocks. It's SO quick and easy for me... I just lay the photocopy key image face down on the block, put on my organic vapor mask and gloves, turn on the exhaust fan, dampen some blotter paper (no sheen allowed), lay blotter paper on key image, printing felts on top, through the press, and VOILA... photocopy on wood ! Well, it's quick and easy if you have all the stuff at hand, anyway. Mike Lyon Kansas City ------------------------------ From: Gary Luedtke Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 21:06:06 -0400 Subject: [Baren 10461] Re: Baren Digest V12 #1076 Mike Lyon wrote, >Just wanted to express (my opinion) that our (sometimes VERY) different opinions are what make our exchange so interesting, and enlightening. But let's try to be assertive, not aggressive, and avoid personal attacks -- that way we can pull each other 'up' to better levels. < Quite right, Mike. My apologies to Graham and others. What was written to be irony, was read as an attack. My apologies for inept writing. I shall study to improve. Apparently my cheek is so fat, no one could see my tongue in it. I shall go on a verbal diet! Maria, when I perceived the little barb in your sign off, I knew I had gone astray. Thanks. Gary ------------------------------ From: "Ramsey Household" Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 18:31:22 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10462] Money? I would doubt that anyone would choose art as a great way to make money. Most artists are not rich or even close to it, because of their art. If they do become rich because of their art, more power to them. Most artists (and original printmakers are artists!!!) choose art because they must. It is their joy and their obsession. It is silly to be arguing about greed. Most of us just love the printmaking medium. What other medium allows so many ways to manipulate the image and still have the original. I love the look of a print. That is why I chose it as my medium. If I wanted to be rich, I would be better off going to work in a dot.com. As for classes, what greater calling is there than sharing your knowledge with others. (I haven't heard of many rich teachers either.) Graham, I think your workshops sound wonderful! More power to you too!! Carolyn P.S. I lurk a lot, but I have been around since there were only about = 30 of us. ------------------------------ From: Scattergood-Moore Date: Fri, 14 Jul 2000 23:25:42 -0500 Subject: [Baren 10463] Re: Rodolph Bresdin show on line. Artsmadis@aol.com wrote: > The Bibliotheque nationale de France (the old building on the rue de > Richelieu, not the new one) has installed an exhibition of prints and Mr. Becker: Thanks a lot for providing the above URL to the Bresdin online website (wish I could see the exhibit in person). Informative and well designed (although I find it very slow to get it to come up on my computer). I have a small web page of printmakers that I like, Bresdin being one, at http://members.xoom.com/scatt/printmakers.html I would like to include part of your above e-mail as a description of this exhibit and website with my link - of course with your permission. My best, Scattergood-Moore ------------------------------ From: Gerald Soworka Date: Sat, 15 Jul 2000 16:11:27 +1000 Subject: [Baren 10464] Re: themes and reproductions > feelings about making art. I was frozen when I tried to make a piece art > because of the audacity of my desire, even inside my head, to make a work >of Art. I think it is audacious and presumptious of any of us to set out to make a "work of art". And it also stiffles our creativity. What we do is make prints, or paintings, or drawings, etc. And if we do it often enough and attentively enough over a long time very occassionally it will all fall into place, in spite of ourselves, and we will end up with a "work of art". Even if our name is Pablo Picasso 99% of what we produce is practice (or garbage). Just because a work is hand-made or done by an "artist" doesn't make it essentially good or special (at least to anyone else). Why overcommit ourselves from the start? Just enjoy the process. Gerald Gerald Soworka - On-line Gallery and Portfolio http://www.crosswinds.net/~geralds/art.html ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V12 #1077 *****************************