Baren Digest Thursday, 23 January 2003 Volume 22 : Number 2105 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: "marilynn smih" Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 07:49:17 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20511] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2104 I have not written lately because I am not carving nor am I doing exchange #15. We are settled here in our Condo in the baja now. I have found all the comments about hanga enlightening, as the only experience I have comes from boot camp. There I was the slacker, slow with my carving. I am used to doing a plate that leaves carving strokes behind in areas, not just smooth surfaces so this was a major adjustment. I am used to placing on an image, just the line part and than letting the carving go as it will. I am not used to everything so totally planned, it was a bit too structured for me. The finest comment any art professor made to a class i took was this (if I get the quote right), "there are those who preplan everything and than there are those who start with an idea and let the work go as it does." He said I am not a preplanner, I just go, but either way is fine with me and both types of artists create good work. What an eye opener that statement was to me and it explained so much about past problems with instructors who wanted everything planned out before I started. (for several years I created huge canvases by starting with only a few brush strokes and letting them take shape, often the images were very realistic, gee I wonder if the wood block carver could do that?). So when I packed for the plane ride i did not bring along carving tools, I want my nice big studio on the Bay in washington to experiment this coming spring and summer with this wood carving stuff. As for being portable, yes you do not need a press but you need all those pigments and pieces of wood, heavy stuff. If you have not taken an airplane flight since they have begun searching every piece of luggage you have no clue how rough they are on our stuff. I had night mares of pigment popping open and spilling all over my other belongings, so i brought mostly tube watercolors and a few things in sealed cans. I think this discussion about the workings of hanga and the process is about how each of us approach our art. Hanga is so precise that it is wonderful for the preplanner, not so wonderful for the one who flies by the seat of their pants. And, after doing a few exchanges i would say both of these groups of artists are turning out magnificent works, just different. I took the hanga workshop to learn about wood carving, about water media use on wood, about carving tools and to see if any of it was for me. I will never be a hard and fast hanga person, it just takes too much planning for me. SOOOOO the experiments will begin! Again without baren I might just never have tried again! So wonderful to read all the problems amd thoughts on this process. Can't wait to get to my Washington home and again try those water pigments with wood and a baren, my way! So when is the next exchange? Marilynn ------------------------------ From: Louise Cass Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:21:52 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20512] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2102 Hi - can't resist a comment - surely many 'wood' people feel as I do that we revel in the cutting of the wood (I used lino for my New Year's card and it wasn't the same at all) I use oils when painting for the same reason (acrylic doesn't 'feel' the same - even the smell of oil paint can aid the creative process) One's interaction with the materials is all part of it. It does sound as if everyone is having fun and learning a lot in their struggles with 'hanga' -I wish I'd had the time to try it and will have to at some point While writing this I just want to add that a batch of Sheep cards is in the mail Some will be on Itame Kozo, Kingin Kozo or Ikazaki paper (are the names the same in the U.S.? I can't resist collecting papers from the Japanese Paper Place - the stock is infinite!) The little Normandy sheep were then mounted on either teal Chiri tissue or a yellow Indian paper. Incidentally I used the 3M double coated conservation tape (no one mentioned that in the discussion on mounting -has anyone encountered problems with it?) John Center, I received your 1st very nice print as well - it was partly unstuck - what adhesive did you use? To date - have cards from Myron, Sarah H.,Jan, Michelle's twin? rams), Nancy, Frank, Lisa (great colour!),Ruth and 2 gorgeous 'goatees' from John!! I love them all . How are the rest of you card people doing?! Feb 1st is the start of the Chinese New Year but I guess greetings are welcome at any time. Louise Cass we bother with the wood because it's a >take anywhere with you medium, and because it's warm and carries an essence >of life within it (so that the print is actually a collaboration between >artist and wood). > >Patti P-C > > http://www.LCassArt.com ------------------------------ From: Mike Lyon Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 10:25:05 -0600 Subject: [Baren 20513] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2104 At 07:49 AM 1/22/2003 -0800, Marilynn Smith wrote: >So when is the next exchange? Hope you are not as brrrrrrr.... FREEZing in snowy baha, Mexico as we are in sunny Kansas City, Marilynn! :-) I guess I must fall into your "planner type" category, although my family would so strongly disagree! Next exchange is #16 -- sign up continues until Jan 31, details at http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_sign-up.html but there are already six on the waiting list... That one will be due May 1, 2003. Sign-up for #17 will begin April 1, and prints from #17 will be due August 1. We have a 'regular' schedule for our "formal" quarterly print exchanges... It is: Jan 1 sign-up for May 1 completion Apr 1 sign-up for Aug 1 completion Jul 1 sign-up for Nov 1 completion Oct 1 sign-up for Feb 1 completion etc., etc., etc. So... MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW !!! Mike Mike Lyon mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com http://www.mlyon.com ------------------------------ From: John and Jan Telfer Date: Thu, 23 Jan 03 01:12:19 +0800 Subject: [Baren 20514] Re: A Baren Racquet!!!! Tennis fans .... this should be on after 5's but if you haven't seen the Quarter Final of the Australian Open Tennis Match between Andy Roddick (USA) and Younes El Aynaoui (Morocco) don't stop watching even at 19 - 19 (games that is) in the 5th set! I won't tell you who won either! It is now 1am here in Perth and it has just finished on our TV. John McEnroe was calling the shots with Bruce Macevany. El Aynaoui had beaten Lleyton Hewitt in a previous match. Good night all. I hope I can print my Exchange #15 tomorrow without falling asleep! I tried to print, but couldn't after running backwards and forwards even at 2 sets each! 'Night, Jan ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger Womack" Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:28:23 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20515] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2104 To me, the kids represent life itself. I forget all about my other problems when I am in the classroom. I even forget about most of my aches and pains. The lower back pain from slowly walking around the courtyard is a bit much, but if I get down on my hands and knees and do exercises, I can eliminate it. I like thinking up ways to get them to want to keep coming to class and getting them to want to do their school work. It's called "classroom management," or thinking on your feet. One of these days I'll try to get permission to take photos on the elementary playground so I can do some woodblocks of kids. I'm always thinking, well I should have taken ten minutes and sat with this student who never talks and asked her or him about him or herself. I think next time I'll do that and in the meantime, I'll read a book about how to talk to teenagers and what questions to ask. Some people know how to do all that already, but I am not one of them. "How are you?' and "What's happening," just isn't enough. I write them notes saying, "You have good answers, keep going, don't give up." Jean > From: John and Jan Telfer > Date: Wed, 22 Jan 03 16:54:21 +0800 > Subject: [Baren 20510] Re: What is Baren? - Puzzle print > > Dear Maria, > > I was explaining to a calligraphy friend today about your wonderful idea > of the Baren Puzzle Print and what was involved and explained that the > subject for it all was "What is Baren?" and her answer was "A life > without Kids!!!" She didn't know what OUR "Baren" was, did she? > > Keep smiling! > > Jan ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne N. Chase" Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 16:16:53 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20516] Re: sumi, blotches and proofing hanga Julio, Mike, Gayle, Jan and Sundry (?) Thanks for all of the advice in printing my #15 exchange print. I actually start printing on Monday, this is after I have started 3 others and scrapped them all. This one may need to be scrapped also but it is now do or die. Ditched the poplar for cherry wood as per advice and it is looking better. Jeanne N. ------------------------------ From: Cucamongie#aol.com Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 19:25:08 -0500 Subject: [Baren 20517] Akua Kolor Gayle, I have added water to Akua Kolor when I want the pigment to be more dilute, with no ill effects that I know of - you may need slightly more paste. You also might try using the extender, I have not tried that. Hanga is definitely hard, I used to think I was the only one who thought so :) happy hanga all Sarah ------------------------------ From: G Wohlken Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 20:24:34 +0000 Subject: [Baren 20518] Update Hanga report! Hanga report! :-) I found some sheets of shin torinoko in the drawer (left from my spider print) and practiced today on it. My, but that Akua color is strongly pigmented. The black sumi didn't cover it well the first time and the sumi took on a brownish hue which was too much in the family of the color in the background, but then when I did a second printing of the black, it covered very well, but I felt it was too black, too opaque, so now I'm thinking of a layer of something else first, and a soft layer of "blackish" over it might look better. I'm not sure about that. The layering is kind of fun. I'm making a mess. Ink gets on my fingers for every print, and it gets on the edges of the paper no matter what I do. Also, my kentos are off. Yet, on some of the sheets of paper, it lines up better. The only thing I can figure out is that because the paper was torn rather than cut, some of the inconsistencies in the tearing is making it fit on the kentos in an odd way. Plus I probably (knowing me) cut the kentos imperfectly. Also, I sent an email to Woodlike Matsumura about the "New Hosho" paper. The answer came and it seems the paper is sized on both sides, and that the shiney side is actually the back, and the smooth, duller side is the carefully sized side, and it is the side to print on. So all you people who said "smooth side" were right! I washed my hands a lot today to get the extra ink off between prints, and now my hands look as dry as they do when I use oil based ink and scrub that ink off with grainy soap. My muscles ache and I'm a little tired and I had a tiny tiny glass of cognac (I love that word), and tomorrow is another day. And thank you, fellow bareners and shopkeepers off list who've offered moral support and advice. Gayle in Ohio ------------------------------ From: "carolwagner" Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 20:57:29 -0800 Subject: [Baren 20519] Of apples and oranges Patti, Actually I've succumbed to the view that it all depends upon the original intent of the maker: if one plans from the very beginning to work in partnership with the wood in the western manner, then the resulting print, featuring evidence of the wood in the form of grain strongly complementing the printed image, or other marks in the finished print indicating rapid cutting with great spontaneity, can only be considered as a good thing... It may be that if we try to decide that one form of printing with wood (oil/water, Eastern/Western) is superior to the other, we but quibble over 'apples and oranges' . I may prefer to try to make 'oranges , but I love other artists 'apples'. Jan, I have been reading about all the terrible fires in Australia and I would like to extend my deepest sympathies on behalf of those who have suffered losses due to the fires. I pray that there will soon be an end to the fires. Carol W (carol in Sacramento) ------------------------------ From: Barbara Mason Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 22:10:52 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Baren 20520] #15 is done I am happy to be done with #15, I see lots of things I could have improved on...guess I will bring these plates to Kansas city and see what can be worked out. Kent, I want you to know your license is in the mail! :~) I hate doing messy prints, like Maria I started with 40 and think half of them are ok, the rest are sort of marginal. A learning experience! Rats, when do we finally know stuff????? Best to all, Barbara ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V22 #2105 *****************************