Today's postings

  1. [Baren 43734] RE: New Baren Digest Masako (Guadalupe Victorica)
  2. [Baren 43735] Japan Relief Participation (Le Green)
  3. [Baren 43736] Re: Japan Relief Participation (Barbara Mason)
  4. [Baren 43737] Re: Japan Relief Participation (RAKESH BANI)
  5. [Baren 43738] Re: Japan Relief Participation (Barbara Mason)
  6. [Baren 43739] Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:11:31 -0400 (Linda Beeman)
  7. [Baren 43740] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
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Message 1
From: Guadalupe Victorica
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:06:27 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43734] RE: New Baren Digest Masako
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Masako. I am really excited that I participated in this project. Besides contributing with my art I allways enjoy thinking that my art work is travelling.
I have never exhibit in Japan. Thank you for organizing this and best Regards, saludos, Guadalupe

PS. Please look at our photos of Prints for Peace and the invited people to exhibit next year at:


http://www.printsforpeacemexico.blogspot.com/
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Message 2
From: Le Green
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:16:48 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43735] Japan Relief Participation
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Barbara,
I admit defeat by life's complications. I will not be able to send prints for the Japan relief, you will have to count me out.
Le Green schubert
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Message 3
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Tue, 19 Jul 2011 17:59:15 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43736] Re: Japan Relief Participation
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Sorry Le, we would have loved to have your prints, but I sure understand life
getting in your way sometimes
Barbara
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Message 4
From: RAKESH BANI
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:23:24 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43737] Re: Japan Relief Participation
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Hello Barbara,
Please let me know your present address, where I have to send My prints
again,
for japan relief Fundraiser exchange...
ok send me the address soon,
Rakesh Bani..
INDIA
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Message 5
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:56:37 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43738] Re: Japan Relief Participation
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Barbara Mason
4440 SW 198th Ave
Aloha OR 97007 USA
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Message 6
From: Linda Beeman
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 12:11:40 GMT
Subject: [Baren 43739] Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2011 08:11:31 -0400
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I was able to go see "Multiple Impressions: Contemporary Chinese Woodblcok Prints", in Ann Arbor, MI this week. I would highly recommend for anyone to go see it. No photography was allowed so I have nothing to show you

Digest Appendix

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

Subject: Baltic Birch vs. Shina
Posted by: Annie B

I've started working on a new print over the past few weeks, and it involves a lot of newness. It's the largest print I've ever tried, at 24" x 40" (61 x 102 cm), and I'm using a new kind of wood as well as a new kind of paper. All in all, this makes for an exciting print!

The print called for three 24" x 40" plates. Shina plywood that size at McClains was beyond my budget, so I decided to go to my local lumber yard and see what I could find. The best they had to offer was a sheet of 5' x 5' (1.5 meter) high grade baltic birch plywood. Even though there was a lot more wood than I needed, the price of the birch was about 1/3 of what I would have paid at McClains, not including shipping fees. So I had the lumber guy cut it for me and I drove the boards home in my Honda.

But would the birch work? And could I get the level of detail I wanted? The answer is yes and yes, but not without a few trials:


I started with the easiest block, the one with the least detail, just to get a feel for the wood. As I expected, it was much harder to work with than shina plywood. The shina I'm accustomed to is shina all the way through the layers, but the birch ply is a thin birch veneer with fir on the inside. As you can see in the photo above, there are a lot of knots in the underlayers. The wood is also much more splintery, and I have some little punctures in my fingers to prove it. Ouch! Also, the glue is sort of crunchy as the tools move through it. I quickly decided to use some of my cheaper tools on the birch and save my expensive ones for shina.


For clearing on a block this size I tried another first -- a hammer and chisel! Up until now I've most often used a large shallow u-gouge that I can push with my hands, but this called for more. I'm embarrassed to admit how many times I hit the knuckle of my thumb with the mallet. Ouch!


[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog woodblock dreams.
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Subject: Looking Back: Open Studio 2011
Posted by: Andy English

My studio was open to the public during the last two weekends; it was very successful and I had a very enjoyable time. It is always nice to meet people face to face, show my work and demonstrate how it is made:



[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog Wood Engraver.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Kakegami project launched! (and will you try some cookies?)
Posted by: Dave Bull

It's taken a while to get going, but the kakegami project has reached the market at last. Printer Tsushima-san was here yesterday, and ran a batch of these confectionery wrappers (now with the calligraphy block included) with no problems at all. This was her first time printing with sumi, and she found that it was not easy to get a smooth impression without having blotches around the edges of the lettering, but she caught on quickly, and got them done.

I delivered that first batch to local shop Arai Confectionery this afternoon. Mr. & Mrs. Arai, owners of the shop, have no more idea than I do whether or not this is going to 'fly', but they are willing to give it a try.

And now ... for something a bit different. By popular demand (well, one person asked!) we're going to put the cookies themselves - including the woodblock wrapper of course - into the Mokuhankan catalogue.

Here's the description from the catalogue page:

***

Ome Sembei - Box of 12 individually wrapped cookies (each 12.5 cm by 8 cm)

Arai-san's sembei have a kind of mild 'ginger snap' taste. The ingredients list on each package reads: flour, refined sugar, egg, sesame seeds, milk products. There are no preservatives added, and each package is marked with an expiry date six weeks in the future. (We fill orders with freshly-made packages, which we ship the same day, of course. Mokuhankan is not taking any 'margin' on these, and our price is a direct 'translation' of Arai-san's shop price, with the addition of 580 yen for SAL shipping.)

Here's the package as it comes from his shop:

After unwrapping the outer paper and ribbon, the woodblock printed kakegami is visible. It is folded around the cover of the box, which is held down with a decorative tied cord.

Inside are three packs ...


[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog Mokuhankan Conversations.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.


Subject: Death in Arizona by Tin Dirdamal new Documentary
Posted by: Guadalupe










[Long item has been trimmed at this point. The full blog entry can be viewed here]

This item is taken from the blog Grabado-Dibujo Printmaking-Drawing.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.