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Message 1
From: "Harry French"
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 19:42:25 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42404] November print update
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Greetings Bareners,

My print work this month has been returning to the area of "soft" lino
cutting. In the past I have had only limited success with colour oil
printing as the lino expanded in my press causing registration problems.
However, with recent Moku Hanga experience I abandoned the press in favour
of the bamboo baren and used thin Sunome Senaka paper together with my
linseed oil inks. I didn't need any pressure, the lino was stable and the
registration was constant throughout the colour printing. In spite of this I
still actually prefer the prints slightly off registration. They give a
three dimensional effect. These small editions include: three clock
mechanism studies resurrected from an old 1970's portfolio ; an interlacing
dragon print sketched in the summer at the Anglo-Saxon settlement in West
Stow (UK) and a final woodprint study from my series of Berlin (Germany)
street organists. The prints have been updated to my website : click on '
Latest work Nov 2010'. I have also hyperlinked the prints to their original
sketch for your interest.

Regards

Harry

UK

www.harryfrenchartworks.co.uk

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Message 2
From: n9iwf # aol.com
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 21:45:08 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42405] Hasui - at work
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Two days ago, while watching some videos about woodblock printing (on YouTube), I came across one called, "Hotei woodcarving," and decided to give it a try. After watching the name "'Hasui Kawase" flash by on the opening titles, I never imagined that this film would be much more than a presentation about Hasui Kawase. It proved to be SO much more!
I had become familiar with the features of Hasui's face from early black and white photos I had seen (from various biographies of his). Could it be that the man looking around on the opening scenes was actually Hasui Kawase? My eyes told me it was so - but I could hardly believe it! As I watched, I saw a full color motion picture of a man scouting out a location for a future woodblock print. It was Hasui... Hasui at work!
I compared the image he was working on to completed prints of his (from other sites) - and discovered that this film was a documentary on the creation of a 1956 piece to be titled, "Morning Horyu-ji (Temple), Nara".
You'll love watching how Hasui composes his picture (and fills it in with color pencils); then passes it on to the carver, Kentaro Meada (a favorite carver for Paul Jacoulet). And after carving the keyline and the color blocks, Kentaro Maeda passes everything along to an (un-named) printer for Watanabe - the publisher. During the opening titles, there was no mention of the name of the printer (in English); but if his name was listed in the Japanese titles, perhaps Dave can tell us. (And be sure to watch how quickly he re-registers the kento when printing the next color.) Much to be learned from each of these masters.
This silent film seems to be only one step above a home movie in quality; but it is in color - and it is Hasui - one year before he passed away from cancer. (BTW, 1956 was also the year that he was awarded the title of a "Living National Treasure" of Japan.)
While you munch on those Thanksgiving leftovers, be sure to peek over the shoulders of Hasui - at work!

YouTube video: Hasui - at work!

Here's a re-published picture of the finished piece (using original blocks): "Morning Horuji"

Enjoy,
Mark Vosmeier

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Message 3
From: n9iwf # aol.com
Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 22:08:49 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42406] More on: Hasui - at work!
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BTW - The YouTube presentation "Hotei woodcarving" was apparently placed there by "Brill" - an international publisher. The film was included as part of a DVD when you bought their book, "Kawase Hasui - The Complete Woodblock Prints" (2003) by Kendall H. Brown.

Book site: Kawase Hasui The Complete Woodblock Prints ( $413.00 USD)

I think that it was very kind of them to freely place this amazing work on YouTube.

Mark

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Message 4
From: David Bull
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 00:12:13 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42407] Re: Hasui - at work
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> You'll love watching how Hasui composes his picture (and fills it in
> with color pencils); then passes it on to the carver, Kentaro Meada
> (a favorite carver for Paul Jacoulet). And after carving the keyline
> and the color blocks, Kentaro Maeda passes everything along to an
> (un-named) printer for Watanabe - the publisher. During the opening
> titles, there was no mention of the name of the printer (in
> English); but if his name was listed in the Japanese titles, perhaps
> Dave can tell us.

It's Ono Gintaro ...

Julio posted this video to our own blog some time back:
http://www.barenforum.org/archives/vol46/v46_4719.html

... and a bit more information was posted then:
http://www.barenforum.org/archives/vol46/v46_4720.html#38201

This video has actually caused quite a lot of people quite a lot of
head-scratching. Ono-san does some things (while tying the baren, and
while moistening the paper) that are somewhat 'strange', and we can't
figure out if he has a 'different' way of working, or if this was a
distortion of his normal routine because of the requirements of the
cameramen (something I run up against sometimes too ...)

Dave

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Message 5
From: n9iwf # aol.com
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:37:40 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42408] Re: Hasui - at work
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Sorry for re-posting this 'old' news.

Before I posted this information, I had, in fact, searched the forum's archives with the words "hotei woodcarving", wondering if it had been mentioned before - and it came up with nothing, so I thought it was 'new' news. I should have searched further. Maybe somebody will benefit, though.

Thanks for the name of the printer.


Mark

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Message 6
From: Dave Bull
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 01:45:30 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42409] Re: Hasui - at work
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Mark wrote:
> Sorry for re-posting this 'old' news.

Not a problem! If we asked people never to post about something that
had previously been discussed - we would never be able to talk about
_anything_ here anymore!

Perhaps I shouldn't have said anything - but I know Julio would like to
'raise the profile' of our blog, so I wanted to mention it for that
reason ...

(But we still haven't found a link to an online version of the _full_
Hasui video; if you can turn up with _that_ one, we'll get excited!)

Dave

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Message 7
From: David Bull
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2010 05:14:31 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42410] What we do ...
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Delicate white paper, with a wonderful texture to it ...

Smooth and sensitive colours, pressed firmly into the surface of each
sheet ...

A rich and tactile experience; a true joy to handle!

Dave is describing one of his woodblock prints, right?

Umm .... nope. It's the latest high-tech product from Apple!
http://www.apple.com/ilife/iphoto/#letterpress-cards

(Video will automatically play ...)

I'm smiling as I send you this link - as kind of a joke. But it's
actually no joke ... these guys are simply doing what we printmakers
should be doing. Communicating the beauty of what we make!

Dave

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Subject: Just some simple haiku prints
Posted by: Bette Norcross Wappner --

This item is taken from the blog Surimono Garden.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.

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