Baren Digest                Sunday, 29 July 2001        Volume 16 : Number 1505


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From: "David Stones" <stones@mb.i-chubu.ne.jp>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 22:17:26 +0900
Subject: [Baren 15275] Re: Prints (continued)

Dear All,

>Oh no! Not the digital vs. hand print debate...
>hearing from woodcut artists,
>just how are you using computers and 'printers' ....

Well, I use a computer - but never for design or prints - it's an
office tool - like the phone or fax... yet I study computer design,
as a kind of hobby and to keep in touch with my old trade.

So a comment... I should probably write a piece for [Baren Suji] on this
woodblock printer's crash course in Website-making after a "designer" of
same gave me a product that was technically wonderful - but ALL
default typefaces, default colours and default everything else - which
jarred well and truly against this do-it-all by hand printer. Every time I
suggested something "non-default" I was told it was time-consuming...

The Website will, though, be the present-day vehicle to introduce my
personal style of woodblock prints - and so I SHOULD have had a bit
of solid grounding in such computer work (and the processes are not
so different to design work... if you know the codes) beforehand.

Anyhow, this (well-paid) "digital man" caused me many unnecessary
hours on a keyboard when I should have been printing and the result is
still not as I imagined/intended. This points to the fact that the
computer-wielding printers need hand-drawing/design skills to really
understand the feeling of creating a piece of physical work and the
hand-printers need a dose of training in front of a monitor so as to
utilise the "new" tool. In other words, we shouldn't avoid new [Baren]
debate/opportunities the computer offers - as long as it's thought of
as a tool and is NOT classed as the designer, printer and publisher with
a named human as just a key puncher or worse, only a profit-maker.

This is what some are probably afraid of - more human skills being
subjugated to an electronic process - and just what some [Baren]
printers may have set out to escape.

So, after fathoming why Netscape 4.7 won't do as Netscape 6/Explorer
happily do and how a small laptop at home can get all the Photoshop
menus on-screen like the 21 incher at a print company, I'll put something
online... but It's a long haul - and not being able to either touch the job
in hand and to have to type instead of mixing colours... well...

Meanwhile, there's a small print for a calendar page (all I can print
in the heat of summer) waiting and I might get 25 copies done by day's
end. The computer printer would take a few minutes... eight colours a
cinch... all the same, all as perfect as the computer's 0's an 1's can be
made to make. Not even a variation in that machine-made paper... em.
Personally, I'll stick to my baren and the washi from Fukui...

Dave S (Ishita)



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From: John and Jan Telfer <jtelfer@iinet.net.au>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 01 21:29:25 -0000
Subject: [Baren 15276] Monet's Japan at Gallery East, Perth, Australia 

"Monet's Japan' Opened at Gallery East in North Fremantle south of Perth, 
Western Australia last night (27th July) as a complimentary exhibition to 
the "Monet & Japan" Exhibition at the Western Australian Art Gallery. 

 There is to be a Lecture by David Bromfield next Friday, but it is 
already sold out and I am 15th on the waiting list....too much for little 
old Perth starved of good Exhibitions! David worked with the Concervator 
of Monet's Museum at Giverny in cataloguing the collection of Japanese 
prints in 1977.

Woodblock Prints from Kunisada "Kabuki scene" c.1850 (triptych), Kunyoshi 
"Tama River from the Crystal Rivers series" 1848 (triptych), Hiroshige 
"trees from the 36 views of Mt Fuji" 1858, Eisen "woman slipping as she 
adjusts her umbrella" 1834, Kunisada "Kabuki actor" 1862, Hiroshige 
"horses on the road to Fujisawa"1855, Yoshtoyo "'tiger"in the visiting 
American circus" 1860, to name just a few of about the 50 on display.  

They are on the net at < http://www.galleryeast.com.au >

These are all for sale  for between $250 - $3000...so very reasonable!  
All of them in good condition, and I think better than those at the WA 
Art Gallery with the Monet paintings although I would  query one which 
has the brightest red and blues I have ever seen and especially after 
seeing how hard it is to get the deepest of colour at Bootcamp!

There are so many woodblocks prints on display here in Perth that I am 
overwhelmed!!

David and Janis had a "full" gallery last night and they had sold about 
15% of them, so whether it was the "full house" or the "red wine" or the 
"brisk sales" it was no wonder David was smiling!!

Also there was Katie Clemson and her husband Alex.  Katie wrote the 
Complete Manual of Relief Printmaking (Pub by Alfred A Knopf,Inc New York 
 ISBN  0-394-56853-2)...my bible!  Something that I overhead did not "sit 
well" with me so I interrupted the group of three to "explain" the way 
the traditional Printmakers achieved these prints...not knowing that I 
was talking to "my primary hero"!!!  But we both laughed about it and I 
am off to see her studio this week in Fremantle.. they have just moved to 
Perth from the UK and NSW!!!  I will really put my foot in it one day!!!

Katie is hoping to organise a trip to Japan, David, within the next 
couple of years of interested printmakers from here to visit Papermakers 
in Japan.  I said that I would be interested and maybe could add to her 
itenary with your help and Hiroshi Tomihari's.  But I will know more in 
the months to come.

My head is chockers with woodblocks!
Jan



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From: Julianne <jkershaw@squirrel.com.au>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 00:51:49 +1000
Subject: [Baren 15277] plaster cast printmaking 

I would love to hear about your plaster cast printmaking experiences
also Eli - can you share it with all of us?

By the way I finished my first woodcut edition a couple of days ago for
the illustration exchange - they're hanging up to dry now - a lovely
feeling. I start back at uni next week, so I probably won't get a chance
to do another exchange till the end of semester. Something to look
forward to!

Julianne

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From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 16:59:39 -0700
Subject: [Baren 15278] case of the cases
Dearest fellow Bareners,

I was cleaning my desk today (it's that time of the year again) and
discovered some unfinished business regarding past exchange cases.
As the story goes, a presentation case for our cherished prints used to be
ordered with an order form through the Baren Web Site. Orders would go to
Dave and, on an honor system, there was a young girl in Canada who used to
collect the money.
There was a big storm and water fell upon the bean stalk, and it grew and
grew---oops, wrong story!
With the advent of the Baren Mall, a vehicle became available for easy
ordering of cases. Now you can order and pay all at once, thus eliminating
one whole step and/or middle (wo)man, and scrapping the honor system. No
pay-no play.
Since the Mall Manager is now in charge of keeping track of the cases, the
young girl in Canada bequeathed her spreadsheets to me. Low and behold!!!
Looks like the honor system worked about 90% of the time, which is very
good, but but but...OH MY! I see that some Baren members that have been
savoring their delicious presentation cases have not--ahem, how do I put
this??? pppaid for them???
Okay, this is where the story gets interesting. As everyone knows, I own a
pair of wolf mixes (well, one wolf mix and one huge Akita). Yes, you got it,
case-breath! That was a threat!!!
Okay, seriously now, those of you (you know who you are) who think that may
have slipped and perhaps you thought you were going to get a bill...consider
this a bill. No late fees or nothin' heck of a deal if you ask me.
SO! If you received a case in a past exchange and have not yet paid for it,
please mosey on over to your friendly (really) Baren Mall. Browse the
"Shops" at your leisure, and notice that Shop #5 is the Case Shop. You may
use the online shopping cart or print out the order form and send a good ol'
fashioned check. Time to settle.
After a couple of weeks, I will be contacting folk individually to see if
the money got somehow criss-crossed in the great global system that we have
come to know as [Baren].

Thanks all in advance,
Maria

PS  For those of you in the current Exchange, you may order your
presentation cases there as well.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Maria Arango
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
maria@mariarango.com
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


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From: ArtfulCarol@aol.com
Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 20:12:08 EDT
Subject: [Baren 15279] Re: Parthenon

Hi 
Are you referring to the full scale Parthenon and Museum in Nashville, Tenn? 
It must be the one and only. A terific place.
Would you  please put the details of those future  woodblock exhibits on our 
site?
Thank you.
Carol.

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End of Baren Digest V16 #1505
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