Today's postings

  1. [Baren 38668] Dandelions and Grass (Gayle Wohlken)
  2. [Baren 38669] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass" (Graham Scholes)
  3. [Baren 38670] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass" (Daniel Dew)
  4. [Baren 38671] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass" (aqua4tis # aol.com)
  5. [Baren 38672] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass" ("DePry Clan")
  6. [Baren 38673] Art/Craft (ArtSpotiB # aol.com)
  7. [Baren 38674] Dandelions and Grass print (Gayle Wohlken)
  8. [Baren 38675] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:37:49 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38668] Dandelions and Grass
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Okay, I have written to someone at the gallery, itself, at Lawrence
U. and hope we can get some further info re the print "Dandelions and
Grass". As soon as I get any kind of answer, I'll post it here.

~Gayle
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Message 2
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:44:14 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38669] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass"
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Thanks Gayle for the site.

Just as I suspected the 72 dpi makes impossible to make a call what
technique it is ... my suspicion is wood engraving. I increase the
image up to 300 and 500 percent... that just complicated the issue.

Look forward to hearing what you find out Gayle.

Here ’s a loaded question... Is it art or is it craft. ????
Now that should be good for a few weeks of debate.

Graham .... the devils advocate.
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Message 3
From: Daniel Dew
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 14:49:37 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38670] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass"
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All art is craft and all craft is art. The real question is: Is it
good or not?
Up until the Enlightenment, all art was lumped together with craft,
hence the guilds.
There has to be a book out there somewhere that answers the question:
"When did Art become Art (and not craft)"
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Message 4
From: aqua4tis # aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:50:12 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38671] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass"
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didnt clement greenberg have something to do with this attitude? -- im reading about arthur wesley dow right now
and he would certainly disagree with the seperation of the two. by the way im doing my first 6 block clour wood cut
BY HAND not on the press and i can see why all of you do it this way. with the right baren its really nice. i have only
the key block left to print so i guess i will see how well my registration really is
georga

When did Art become Art (and not craft)" 
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Message 5
From: "DePry Clan"
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:55:59 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38672] Re: About your posting re "Dandelions and Grass"
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Is what, art or craft?

Thanks Gayle for the site.

Just as I suspected the 72 dpi makes impossible to make a call what
technique it is ... my suspicion is wood engraving. I increase the
image up to 300 and 500 percent... that just complicated the issue.

Look forward to here what you find out Gayle.

Here’s a loaded question... Is it art or is it craft. ????
Now that should be good for a few weeks of debate.

Graham .... the devils advocate.

> http://digitalmedia.lawrence.edu/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=%2FWAG&CISOPTR=3531&DMSCALE=25&DMWIDTH=600&DMHEIGHT=600&DMMODE=viewer&DMFULL=0&DMX=99&DMY=0&DMTEXT=&DMTHUMB=1&REC=1&DMROTATE=0&x=203&y=89
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Message 6
From: ArtSpotiB # aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 21:40:04 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38673] Art/Craft
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This question, whether or not an item/field fits into the Art or Craft
definition, is quite old at this point, but still alive. It isn't resolved yet,
is it? My Mother, who would be in her 90's at this point, told me about it.
Her work is in museums as a ceramic sculptor. She was part of the generation
who fought the rigid definition of Art vs. Craft. Art held all the aces
then, with painting and sculpture reigning exclusively. Printmaking, for
example, was ALL considered craft. If I recall rightly, other than categorizing
entire fields, part of the definition was that technical skills were paramont
in Craft, rather than aesthetics. Another aspect was that craft was a
functional product, with a hands on use afterwards.

Then there was the "Commercial vs. Fine Art" discussion, with commercial
meaning that the art appealed to it's time and fine art to a longer term
interest. Beardsley helped break barriers down with his pen and inks. So did Andy
Warhol with his marketing skills, use of photography to make multiples in
paintings, etc. Somewhere in there was the "photography is not a print".
Photography then went on to be in it's own category. Now it's firmly placed in
the field of printmaking, basically through the back door of digital
photographs. The latest argument over what is Art that I know of was
comic/graffitti/anime -- all now mainstream Art.

I wonder what the next big melding will be and when? Now there's a
question! Anybody's guess?

It sure is exciting to watch the definitions evolve. Related questions are
"what is creativity?" and "what is intelligence?" Actually, there's info now
that intelligence has to do with the ability of the nerves to rapid fire...
we'll see if that sticks.

Great discussion!

ArtSpot Out
Benny & The Bandit




A THOUGHT FOR TODAY:
There are two ways of being happy: We may either diminish our wants or
augment our means - either will do - the result in the same; and it is for each
man to decide for himself, and do that which happens to be the easiest. If
you are idle or sick or poor, however hard it may be to diminish your wants,
it will be harder to augment your means. If you are active and prosperous or
young and in good health, it may be easier for you to augment your means
than to diminish your wants. But if you are wise, you will do both at the same
time, young or old, rich or poor, sick or well; and if you are very wise
you will do both in such a way as to augment the general happiness of society.
-Benjamin Franklin, statesman, author, and inventor (1706-1790)
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Message 7
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Fri, 17 Apr 2009 22:42:28 GMT
Subject: [Baren 38674] Dandelions and Grass print
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I received this email from Frank C. Lewis of Lawrence University.

> Dear Ms. Wohlken,
>
> Julie Fricke in the library passed your email query on to me at the
> Wriston Gallery. My name is Frank Lewis and I am the director of the
> galleries here at Lawrence.
>
> To begin I would like to thank you for looking at our collection on
> the internet. When we put things out there we often wonder if they
> simply drift off into the ether of cyber space.
>
> As to the print: The image is a relief print but on close
> examination it displays the characteristics of a wood engraving
> rather than those of a traditional woodcut. I am glad that your
> interest in the print has resulted in a more technically accurate
> description for our files - although because of the intricacies of
> our internet download program it will will probably be sometime
> before we are able to correct the information on line.
>
> I am attempting to attach a close-up image of the section in
> question so that you can see the great detail which the print is
> able to capture.
>
> Again, I think you for your interest in our collection.
>
> Sincerely
>
> Frank C. Lewis
> Director of Exhibitions and Curator of the Collections
> The Wriston Art Galleries
> Lawrence University


The attached image of a portion of one of the dandelions was over 4
megabytes. But I will tell you the edges of the dandelions don't look
soft in the close-up image, large version. The seed fluff looks cut to the
ends, no extra coloring to get the effect we think we are seeing in
the 72 dpi version.

~Gayle

Digest Appendix

Postings made on [Baren] members' blogs
over the past 24 hours ...

Subject: Tiger & Sloth
Posted by: Ellen Shipley


Made In the Shade 4"x6"
First prints. Very uneven. Having trouble with either the ink or the printer pressure. Probably both. Some days just don't go smoothly. But I've made a start. It'll get there.

This item is taken from the blog pressing-issues.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Easter in Cadiz
Posted by: Sharri

It is good to be home again, but we had an absolutely wonderful time in Spain. I wish we could have seen more, but on the other hand, it was a very restful and relaxing time. We met our daughter, Yvette, her husband, Steve and our two grand- daughters, Grace (10) and Camille (4). They have been living in Norway since January (teaching at American College of Norway) and were ready for someplace warm and sunny with a beach. Cadiz is a magical place - we were in the old town and felt like we had gone back in time to the middle ages with a few modern conveniences, like washer & dryer and indoor plumbing. We rented a 2 bedroom apartment La Casa Cadiz a short walk from the beach. Every day we walked to a new destination: the Museum of Cadiz, the Cathedral, a small church with some early Goyas, the Castle Santa Catalina, the fortress San Sebastian, etc. You can only expect kids to endure so much of the cultural heritage when what they really want to do is go to the beach or the playground ;-) There are pictures of our sightseeing at our sight on Shutterfly. Cadiz, as legend has it, was founded by Hercules and supposedly the Pillars of Hercules are here somewhere. Archeology . . .
[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog Rag & Bone.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.