[Baren] the mailing list / discussion forum for woodblock printmaking Baren Digest Tuesday, 25 July 2000 Volume 12: Number1088 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "Jeanne Norman Chase" Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 10:50:59 -0400 Subject: [Baren 10591] Exchange 7 Exchange 7 participants I sent out a notice to the Exchange 7 people. If you are on the exchange and did not receive a notice, please e mail me with the correct e mail.at; studiojnc@prodigy.net It seems I did not get through to jteifer@iinet.net.au or cwilson@cet.com They were returned. You are missing rare jewels of wisdom!!!!!! Thanks Jeanne N. ------------------------------ From: Artsmadis@aol.com Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 11:34:56 EDT Subject: [Baren 10592] Re: Martha Stewart jeaneger writes: << and sell my prints as well. I expect you who eschew selling art work to denigrate my proposal immediately. Jean >> When an artist produces something of value that can give people pleasure there is no reason to not receive some reward or profit. Everything the artist buys to produce art is sold at a profit, in fact everything you use at all is sold at a profit, from electricity to bubble gum. Art can give people a unique form of satisfaction, it is not easy to produce and should command some price even if the price is not enough. Art is made by hardwork and wear and tear on the nerves as we try to make the object correspond to our mental vision. It is a mistake to undervalue our own work. Darrell .............. Artsmadis http://members.aol.com/artsmadis/index.htm.htm 60 pages so far ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 10:09:29 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10593] Martha Stewart For those who missed it, the Martha Stewart reference is at http://marthastewart.com/television/program_guide/index.asp then click on July 18 television program, then click on PROJECT: WOODBLOCK PRINTING WITH JOSHUA Jean http://users.lanminds.com/~jeaneger ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 11:07:38 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10594] good ol' Martha Back from a wonderful 3 days of peddlin' prints at the mall. Jean, please don't make excuses to anyone for promoting and selling your art. I personally cannot think of a more blissful way to live than to make art for a living and to show everybody. Yes hard work goes into art and we should not devalue that. But it is much much more than hard work that goes into the creation of a print, and it is precisely the creation part, the enjoyment, the pure bliss (I repeat with emphasis) of making art that will make our work just as valuable to the viewer. Those who choose to share that intangible value, do not kid yourself, will find that the love will show in every print. Folks like to buy a piece of your passion and they will thank you for sharing because they realize that you don't have to. Those who count how many hours they put into a print and how much the paper cost and how much the frame cost and go out there to make a 'profit' might as well be selling iron-on souvenir t-shirts. I sometimes get compliments on the technical quality of the engravings and I get compliments on the vessel images or on the fact that something I created reminds the viewer of someplace they have been. Great, yeah, fine, thank you, uh-huh--but the greatest feeling comes when someone looks around my tiny little temporary gallery and says: "you really enjoy making art, don't you." That person can have the entire booth for $1 and I don't particularly care if they ever buy anything from me, because THEY GET IT! They get the love, the passion. They get everything that I am, and at that moment I have succeeded. And at that moment, money is equal to dog-poop (pardon moi). I didn't watch the Martha Stewart show, but many mall shoppers did. And there I was, with woodcut prints (although not 'woodblock,' I had to explain over and over the difference) live and in person, just after the show. I couldn't have asked for better marketing. A customer summed it all up when she said: "good ol' Martha Stewart, without her program I would have never known what these were." Good old Martha, indeed. I had an insight on why I get out there a-peddlin' while I was sitting, between M.J. Christensen and Forsheims, inside the 10' x 10' space that I choose to call a gallery for 3 days. It is customary for other crafters (learn the lingo, folks) to come around on their breaks and ask you how you are doing. I learned that you never mention dollar amounts, you just say things like: okay, fine, great, awesome, get out of my way you are in the customers view, let me write this receipt out and I'll tell you, etcetera etcetera. Don't mean nuthin'. I always stay positive, even when sales might be slow for a spell, because people can smell sulking and defeat and stay the heck away from negativity. The poor-pathetic-artist act is a sorry thing to watch and nobody wants to get near. I also found that crafters are looking for that magic item that will sell, or the magic exhibit that will bring them hoards of folks with bulky wallets, since, unlike some of us, they _really_ do this _for a living_, not for *the love*. Therein lies the difference. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for us (the passion-people), that key difference translates into attitude and seeps right into your work. Folks love to be able to give you a part of them for a part of you. I see my job as an artist is to make sure that part of me, my energy and most of all my passion, become part of every print. Still licking set-up/tear-down wounds, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango, Printmaker Las Vegas Nevada USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com quest1000woodcuts@hotmail.com <><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 13:25:30 -0500 Subject: [Baren 10595] Re: good ol' Martha Maria writes: " A customer summed it all up when she said: "good ol' Martha Stewart, without her program I would have never known what these were." Good old Martha, indeed." Welllllllll, did you have a big sign up... "Woodblock Prints as seen on Martha Stewart's TV Show" ?????? Julio ------------------------------ From: "Ittai Altshuler" Date: Sun, 14 May 2000 21:38:45 +0300 Subject: [Baren 10596] Before Exchane 6 and After For all my teachers Helo, I have no words to thanks th all of you that i learnt from you so much directly and indirectly. The prints i have done after being a member of this group are steps ahead from the place i was techniclly but mainly coceptually, for what is print and who free i may feel withit inspit of the details of the techniques. No problem of registration, the world of coloris open for me also in printing aslo in wood cut. Thank you For being here and there Ittai20 ------------------------------ From: "Bill H. Ritchie, Jr" Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 11:58:59 -0700 Subject: [Baren 10598] Re: good ol' Martha Maria writes: " A customer summed it all up when she said: "good ol' Martha Stewart, without her program I would have never known what these were." Good old Martha, indeed." Julio writes: Welllllllll, did you have a big sign up... "Woodblock Prints as seen on Martha Stewart's TV Show" ?????? Julio This is worth about 2 cents, but . . . If you use the name Martha Stewart in a business connection, you might get something in the mail from Martha Stewart Inc's attorneys office asking you to stop using the name in your promotion. It happened to me once. I had the name Emeralda Games Work and Game Works attorney wrote a nice letter telling me stop using it immediately (they thought it would confuse their customers, you know, maybe cause them to break out in a rash I guess). It was easy to stop. I hate GameWorks, anyway. Violent place--Ugh! Make me break out in a rash just to think about it. So I wrote back to them and said okay, but it cost me time and postage, certified letters, etc. And then they had to write back to me acknowledging receipt. They get around 180-210 dollars an hour for that kind of stuff, you know. So, just to protect yourself from personal time wasters and negative reactions (like rashes), a word to the wise artists. Worth about 2 cents? ------------------------------ From: barbara patera Date: Mon, 24 Jul 100 14:57:04 Pacific Daylight Time Subject: [Baren 10601] re; good ol m.and the mall Maria writes.. Back from a wonderful 3 days of peddlin' prints at the mall. Still licking set-up/tear-down wounds Maria, I know just how you feel..... did the craft shows from 1975 to 1991.... enjoyed every minute of it ( well almost).....at the time I was doing pottery.... setting up wasn't bad until my usual neighbors showed up... jewelers of course..... but tear down was hell...... used to envy those jewelers something fierce.... put everything in a suitcase and ZAP, they were gone......meanwhile I'm still breaking down my shelves. Nice though, that Martha's show coincidede with yours.... it does help when people know what goes into yourart. Barbara P. ------------------------------ From: Aqua4tis@aol.com Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 18:05:28 EDT Subject: [Baren 10602] Re: a question hi again everyone i have a question: a few years ago i took a 3 day hanga workshop at self-help graphics,that is where i first found out what hanga was and how wonderful it was. i couldnt remember the teachers name, but i have been cleaning out my new studio (its wonderful by the way) :-) and i ran across some cards with his name on them. it is hiroki morinoue,has anyone heard of him? he was a very nice man and a good teacher and im interested to know if anyone knows him he seems to be located in hawaii or new york or both thanks georga ------------------------------ From: "John and Michelle Morrell" Date: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 20:03:30 -0800 Subject: [Baren 10604] Martha Stewart Jean wrote: >If we all worked eight hours a day for six months to publicize woodblock >printmaking, we still would not even approach creating the great publicity More power to you, Jean. Don't know where you find the energy (being totally burned out on the commercial end) but whatever you do to follow up on that promotion would be a benefit to all. By the way, welcome Kristine and Caz. Kris, I hope you didn't pay money for that critique of your portfolio, if that was what she truly said. People say more meaningful things in their sleep. <><><><><><><><><> Michelle Morrell jmmorrell@gci.net <><><><><><><><><> End of Baren Digest V12 #1088 *****************************