Today's postings

  1. [Baren 42417] Re: Hasui - at work (Linda Beeman)
  2. [Baren 42418] Longtime lurker joins the party (Sherrie York)
  3. [Baren 42419] Re: Longtime lurker joins the party (Barbara Mason)
  4. [Baren 42420] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently (Elizabeth Atwood)
  5. [Baren 42421] Re: Long-Time Lurker (Sherrie York) Joins the Party (Gayle Wohlken)
  6. [Baren 42422] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently (David Bull)
  7. [Baren 42423] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently (David Bull)
  8. [Baren 42424] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Linda Beeman
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 14:11:16 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42417] Re: Hasui - at work
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Dave, you said that in the clip he does something strange when tying the baren and also when wetting the paper.  I have such limited exposure seeing anyone working that I don't know why you thought that.  Could you please expound on what was strange about it?
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Message 2
From: Sherrie York
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 15:03:19 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42418] Longtime lurker joins the party
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Hello, Bareners-

I've been standing in the corner hiding behind the potted palm at
this party long enough, time to introduce myself!

Yes, I'm an "oily western linocutter," but I do print by hand with a
baren! I would have said I am self-taught, but after almost ten years
of stumbling around by myself I've recently taken my first woodcut
workshop. AND I have long been inspired and educated by many of you,
both through this forum and other cyber-wonders. Thank you.

I'd like to share my work with you, primarily landscape and wildlife
prints, on my website, http://www.sherrieyork.com (I don't know if
typing the full URL will make this a live link?). And if you're
feeling really adventurous, I frequently document the stages of
current work on my blog, Brush and Baren. (http://
brushandbaren.blogspot.com) I just wrapped up a large-ish, 10-color
piece which is currently headlining there.

Again, thank you for the ongoing conversation and intriguing company.
The potted palm and I are quite enjoying the party.

------------------------------------------------
Sherrie York
http://www.sherrieyork.com
http://brushandbaren.blogspot.com
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Message 3
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:00:48 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42419] Re: Longtime lurker joins the party
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Lovely work Sherrie, what paper are you using to get such good coverage with a
baren and oil based inks? I know it takes a lot of shoulder power to print oil
by hand!
My best
Barbara
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Message 4
From: Elizabeth Atwood
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 16:50:48 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42420] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently
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Dave....on marquetry..........the traditional pieces were
beautiful..........

My husband was a skilled marquetry artist. He sometimes took my
woodblock basic sketch and turned it into a marquetry piece with his
greater color sense than mine. The work is very fine, requiring great
dexterity. One small saw that he used had teeth so tiny that they
were almost invisible. No laser cutting etc.
He explained the process to me many times but it is too intricate to
remember without ever having tried it.

ElizA
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Message 5
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 17:35:55 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42421] Re: Long-Time Lurker (Sherrie York) Joins the Party
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Sharrie, your work is captivating, and your blog-writing enjoyable, informative. Welcome to Baren, and we hope you'll share more with us. We like our quiet members to step out and tell us about the work they are doing, so thank you for doing that. Are all your color prints reductions or do you also cut color blocks? I read your blog briefly, so you may have answered this question right on your blog and I missed it. While on the subject, we are hoping people's blogs are not taking the place of sharing directly here on the forum as we could be missing out on some great discussions.

Thanks to all our silent Bareners who have stepped up to the plate to share about themselves and their work.

~Gayle Wohlken
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Message 6
From: David Bull
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:28:25 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42422] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently
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Elizabeth wrote:
> One small saw that he used had teeth so tiny that they were almost
> invisible. No laser cutting etc.

_Traditionally_ no laser ... but the object sitting next to this guy
(who made the work I posted yesterday) is an Epilog laser cutter!
http://www.tulsaworld.com/articleimages/2010/20101128_MBenton.jpg

***

Linda asked:
> you said that in the clip he does something strange when tying the
> baren and also when wetting the paper. I have such limited exposure
> seeing anyone working that I don't know why you thought that. Could
> you please expound on what was strange about it?

There are a few that come directly to mind:
- when Maeda-san starts hammering to clear wood away, the block starts
sliding all over his desk. There is _no way_ that he would ever be so
inefficient. His whole working environment - the 'elegant' room, the
flat (non-tilted) desk, the lack of support for the block - it's all a
'setup' and nothing like his real working conditions.

- when Ono-san moistens the paper, he puts it all into a single flat
stack - open at the sides. ?? Really? Even here in damp Japan, the
resulting paper moisture will be extremely uneven. And then he puts a
beautifully flat piece of wood on top of it all. That piece of wood
would warp up in a cup shape in the first 60 seconds, due to the
moisture underneath it. And Ono-san too is wearing a formal kimono!
No way would he ever work that way ...

- (this one is not visible in the YouTube version, just in the
original longer one (40+ minutes) ... When he is tying the baren, at
one point in the scene, a small white piece of string suddenly appears
- tied around one end of the handle. Baren maker Goto-san and I have
gone over this again and again, single stepping through it frame by
frame, and neither of us can figure out what is going on. And before
starting the folding, Ono-san cuts the bamboo 'handle' in a shape that
is highly unusual, and both Goto-san and I were both yelling "He's
nuts! That'll never work!" But it presumably does ...

Dave
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Message 7
From: David Bull
Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2010 23:32:58 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42423] Re: Woodblock prints ... a little differently
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>> One small saw that he used had teeth so tiny that they were almost
>> invisible. No laser cutting etc.

Aaargh ... just one minute after posting ... I find a slideshow of
how he does it - from computer to finished marquetry:
http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.aspx?subjectid=272&articleid=20101128_43_D3_CUTLIN215798

(Apologies for the extra posts ...)

Dave

Digest Appendix

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

Subject: More on the postal problems with the US ...
Posted by: Dave Bull

Plenty of us here in Japan have been affected by the air cargo shutdown between the two countries, and - as we raise our voices bit by bit - word of our 'plight' (can I call it that?) is spreading ...

Mr. James Fallows, in his blog for the Atlantic, wrote about it today ...


This item is taken from the blog Woodblock RoundTable.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Gift Print Drawing has been completed
Posted by: Dave Bull

The people over at Random.org held the drawing for me this morning (or of course, their software held it), and the winners - all 18 - have been notified.

Here's the stack of prints, waiting for envelopes and address labels:

That's a nice pile of prints to be giving away!

If you were one of the 'entrants' (everybody who purchased one of the prints in November), you can check the results of the drawing on this page of the random.org website. Use your email address to confirm the participation ...

Thanks everybody, and 'better luck next time' to those who came up 'empty-handed'!

And of course, the prints are still available over on the Gift Print page. This has been very popular this year, and I'm printing another batch of them yesterday and today!


This item is taken from the blog Woodblock RoundTable.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.