Today's postings

  1. [Baren 42707] Re: Museum ... drive thru! (Barbara Mason)
  2. [Baren 42708] Exchange 47 update ("Maria Arango Diener")
  3. [Baren 42709] large moku hanga (Linda Beeman)
  4. [Baren 42710] Re: large moku hanga (Graham Scholes)
  5. [Baren 42711] RE: large moku hanga ("Maria Arango Diener")
  6. [Baren 42712] RE: large moku hanga ("Mike Lyon")
  7. [Baren 42713] large moku hanga (Gayle Wohlken)
  8. [Baren 42714] Re: Exchange 47 update (John Steins)
  9. [Baren 42715] Re: Lino (Melissa West)
  10. [Baren 42716] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:02:34 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42707] Re: Museum ... drive thru!
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This was hard to do and the blur until things focused was odd....however it was
great to be there, even virtually!
Thanks
Barbara
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Message 2
From: "Maria Arango Diener"
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:48:59 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42708] Exchange 47 update
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I know, the updates are coming fast and furious now!



Eight sets of prints made the deadline, which is today. Bea and Lana, added
to the list of "received".

I have also heard from several of you who have already mailed. We have some
weather delays at force in the Eastern US so let's nobody panic (yet).



If you want a nice case for the exchange from the Baren Mall, please let me
know. Since there still seems to be a $100 minimum order on mall items
including the cases, I will be ordering as many as needed. Participants who
order will get a case with their prints. Cost of the case is $35.



Remember to send a self-addressed label and shipping costs back to you. The
main page of the exchange has all the information.



If you want to send PayPal for case or shipping or both, use my
1000woodcuts@gmail.com address and specify "for exchange 47".

You can figure out the cost of shipping using my zip code as the origin
89120.



I think that about covers it. My last block was printed yesterday and I'm
pondering adding another since I have time, one of the perks of
coordinating!



Get busy!!!



Maria



[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]

www.1000woodcuts.com

www.artfestivalguide.info

[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]
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Message 3
From: Linda Beeman
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 16:52:58 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42709] large moku hanga
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I have a thought to do a large moku hanga on a piece of cherry plywood using a full sheet of paper
(and 2 people to lay it on the wood). I'm wondering about brushes. It would seem the normal
size is way too small for brushing the pigment in. I thought about a shoe brush which is all
horse hair. Any ideas on this? Besides that I'm out of my mind for doing it by hand!

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Message 4
From: Graham Scholes
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:05:14 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42710] Re: large moku hanga
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Linda Beeman wrote:
> I have a thought to do a large moku hanga on a piece of cherry
> plywood using a full sheet of paper (and 2 people to lay it on the
> wood). I'm wondering about brushes. It would seem the normal size
> is way too small for brushing the pigment in. I thought about a
> shoe brush which is all horse hair. Any ideas on this? Besides
> that I'm out of my mind for doing it by hand!

Hi Linda,

Your are to commended on tackling this project....
I would be interested in what size you are considering... When we
have that info then I am sure you will get lots of help from the folks
here....

Regarding shoe brushes.... they probably will not lay down the pigment
in a smooth enough fashion. There is not enough hair and there for
you will get a very streaky lay of pigments.

Graham
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Message 5
From: "Maria Arango Diener"
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:30:42 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42711] RE: large moku hanga
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Graham's right, I tried shoe brushes once and when you compare the amount of
hair to an actual moku-hanga brush you will see that they are hardly
adequate.

Maybe try sponge brushes? They make those as big as you want and there are
even sponge rollers available. I don't know how they would lay down pigment
though. Might want to experiment.

As of yet I have been unable to find a suitable paper to print dry using
this technique. Sure would help when humidity is 36% one day and 5% the
next. I bought a humidity meter for the studio and I can now see why I'm
having difficulty keeping my paper properly damp from one day to the next.

And yes to the "out of your mind" thing, I'm having trouble with
controlling 13" prints out here in the Mojave...

Maria

[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]
www.1000woodcuts.com
www.artfestivalguide.info
[=o=][=o=][=o=][=o=]
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Message 6
From: "Mike Lyon"
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:36:33 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42712] RE: large moku hanga
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I've printed editions as large as 1 x 2 meter sheets on full sheets of
plywood, registering the paper and printing single-handed (no helpers) (but
for sheets that size I use a baren and a press)... But it's not very
difficult for me to register and baren-print sheets half that size (22 x 76
inches).

To accomplish the registration, I used a modified kento technique, carving
two side kentos a comfortable (3 - 4 feet) distance apart and a center line
incised on each block and penciled lightly on the back of each sheet at the
center on the edge. The key to this is a sliding 'humidrawer' I invented
(far as I know, anyway). The first humidrawer held 20 x 30 inch sheets and
it was a very shallow drawer on standard drawer glides which slid in and out
of a plastic box (using a very simple lever and counterweight so I could
open and close the drawer by pressing on the lever with my foot). The
drawer was lined with damp blotter paper and held my large printing papers.
It opened a half-inch over the block so I could slide a sheet over the edge
and register it (for 20 x 30 inches, corner and side kento worked fine)
while the drawer held it off the block. Then I'd raise my foot and allow
the drawer to slide shut while I held the sheet in place. That dropped the
paper perfectly each time.

I've heard that Karl Hecksher (prints for Pace editions) liked the idea and
used it to develop his own method. David Bull also liked the idea and used
a similar (but simpler) gadget to good effect on one of his larger prints,
too. Maybe you'll come up with something like it for yourself?

You can see my various printing rigs on my web site. In particular, have a
look at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1rqU-TUiBI (super-speed movie of printing
large sheets and blocks -- paper drawer is garage-door opener actuated :)

http://mlyon.com/wp-content/gallery/2005-press/2004_04_printing_anthony.jpg
(the box has two drawers -- the bottom drawer delivers sheets for printing
and the top drawer (open in this image) is the hand-operated take-up drawer
for sheets just printed.

http://mlyon.com/wp-content/gallery/2005-press/2004_04_printing_anthony_2.jp
g (front view with both drawers closed)

http://mlyon.com/2010/07/grass-2-large-woodblock-print-22-5-x-72-inches-from
-16-blocks/ (photos of a large print underway)

Good luck!

Mike

Mike Lyon
Kansas City, MO
http://mlyon.com
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Message 7
From: Gayle Wohlken
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:45:35 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42713] large moku hanga
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Mike, what brushes did you use to apply the pigment on those large pieces?

~Gayle
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Message 8
From: John Steins
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 19:43:51 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42714] Re: Exchange 47 update
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Hi Maria,

Thanks for all your work and patience. I will try and ship early next
week, likely express mail.

Kind regards,
John

---------------------------
Box 192,
Dawson City,
Yukon, Canada,
Y0B 1G0
867-993-5580
----------------------------
www.johnsteins.com
----------------------------
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Message 9
From: Melissa West
Date: Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:50:14 GMT
Subject: [Baren 42715] Re: Lino
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Hi Louise--
I've used the Richeson easy-cut lino quite a bit, and like it.
I find it cuts quite easily, but tends to hang on, so you might have
to pull the scraps off by hand or give an extra little push at the end
of a stroke.
It prints nicely. The ink stays on the surface, so no (or little)
need for preliminary prints to prime the block.
I've had no trouble with its 'greasiness'. Perhaps 'slick' would be
more apt, since nothing oozes out of it, and it has a nice smooth
surface.
If you go to my website, all 3 saint prints were done from these blocks.
http://www.mswest.com/prints_misc.html (the last 3 on this page)
I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!

Melissa
__________________
Melissa West
816 Hanover St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062
831-466-0493
www.mswest.com
melissa@mswest.com

Digest Appendix

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

Subject: Kaori Seki's work ...
Posted by: Dave Bull

Carving of the colour blocks for the Urashima Taro design is coming along well, and should be done by the end of the week.

I had to call her up this evening to ask about a detail of the image, and while talking with her, asked if it would be alright if I uploaded a couple of other images of her work, so that people could get an idea of what she is doing. She said OK, so here you go! (clickable)

 

These are scanned postcards from the five that I purchased from her at the Design Festa last year. The top one is from a series she has done on historical episodes. Her spelling on the title is a bit off, but if you Google 'Yoshitsune and Benkei' you will learn about the famous battle at Gojo Bridge.

The second is from a set of 12 images of the traditional calendar months. This one is equivalent to October/November period. I don't know if there is a 'story' behind her image ...

As I mentioned before, when I visited her home she pulled out book after book and box after box of drawings and fully worked-out images. I thought it was a treasure trove, but I hope she can start to work on her p/r a bit more, because hiding this stuff away isn't going to help anybody!


This item is taken from the blog Woodblock RoundTable.
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Subject: High Water


This item is taken from the blog Against the grain.
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