Today's postings

  1. [Baren 44989] Re: McClain's (Lynita Shimizu)
  2. [Baren 44990] BMA exhibition (SUSAN KALLAUGHER)
  3. [Baren 44991] Re: BMA exhibition (Barbara Mason)
  4. [Baren 44992] Re: BMA exhibition (Jeannot Barr)
  5. [Baren 44993] Re: BMA exhibition (Jeannot Barr)
  6. [Baren 44994] The FIRST Dragon! (Eileen Corder)
  7. [Baren 44995] Baren Member blogs: Update Notification (Blog Manager)
Member image

Message 1
From: Lynita Shimizu
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 13:30:35 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44989] Re: McClain's
Send Message: To this poster

Thanks to all for your kind comments and congratulations regarding McClain's catalog cover.
Sometimes I feel so guilty not contributing to the general discussions here in our Baren family. However, since the timing is right, let me add to my guilt (self-promotion) and invite anyone in the vicinity of the Univ. of CT to stop by the Jorgensen Gallery from the end of Jan to the end of April. I'll be exhibiting 70 woodcuts, as soon as I get all this framing finished. The gallery webpage hasn't been updated yet, but here's the link with the gallery hours:
Gallery About Jorgensen
Thanks so much!
Lynita


Lynita Shimizu
Pomfret, CT
http://shimizuwoodcuts.com/
Member image

Message 2
From: SUSAN KALLAUGHER
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:56:45 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44990] BMA exhibition
Send Message: To this poster

The BMA Baltimore has a print exhibition with only 3 main woodcut pieces:- Durer's The Apocalypse 1499, Fabius Lorenzi's World War 1 infantry
scenes in color on Japanese fans in Ukiyo-e style, Sherrie Levin's contemporary Meltdown, but they did illustrate very different uses of woodcut & how versatile this art can be.

Another question, this time about wetting paper or not. At the BMA exhibition the curator noted that paper needed to be moistened to print until the introduction of smooth papers.
I thought the moistness was to help the ink soak into the paper. What do people think about this and what effects can you get on dry paper?

Thanks, Sue
Member image

Message 3
From: Barbara Mason
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:36:23 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44991] Re: BMA exhibition
Send Message: To this poster

Dry paper can be used, but the ink dampens the paper and it changes shape and size of said paper and it is hard to keep the registration...I think the curator is wrong.
Uniformly damp paper will not change shape as you print it if you handle it correctly allowing the added moisture of the ink to move within the paper before you print another layer. I often find curators know little about actual printing, only what they have read or been told and if they don't get it from someone who really knows, it is a problem as they are then giving out miss information. I think smooth dry paper can be used...depending on what you are doing, some contemporary printmakers just don't care about registration and it shows in their work. Even if they are famous their works are not registered well. Dry paper can move more on the block, furthering the problem of registration.
My best
Barbara
Member image

Message 4
From: Jeannot Barr
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:38:37 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44992] Re: BMA exhibition
Send Message: To this poster

Hello Susan,

You have hit on good question. It really comes down to the desired effect
of the artist. Papers that are moistened (usually sturdier and heavier) are
maleable and as a result more ink gets in the nooks and crannies. For
lighter papers, it is probably not necessary to moisten. Smooth papers
(which can be light or heavy) can accomplish much the same thing BUT it
really comes down to experimentation and with that the artist looking at a
proof and saying, " That's what I want." As you know - no matter what
medium, there are a very wide range of factors that can make or break a
print, make the difference between "good", "very good" and "superb"
impressions - or whatever term that you'd like to use. In the end when it
comes to this question, there is no "right or wrong" - just "desired
results."

Thank you for the chance to respond on this question.

Jeannot BARR
Member image

Message 5
From: Jeannot Barr
Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:45:22 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44993] Re: BMA exhibition
Send Message: To this poster

I think that it all depends on the paper. There are papers where it is not
necessary to moisten. Again, I think it goes to desired effect. If a paper
is too hard to handle - registrations, shape changes, etc. - then it is not
a candidate to be moistened. In the end, the artist needs to decide by
experimenting.

I think that it is true that most print curators have little experience in
actual printmaking. Yes, they are book smart about it, but as we all know,
"seeing it done and doing it" is understanding. There are a few curators
that possess this knowledge having worked with them.... and it makes a big
difference.

Happy 2012 - be healthy and productive!

Jeannot BARR
Member image

Message 6
From: Eileen Corder
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 2012 00:28:32 GMT
Subject: [Baren 44994] The FIRST Dragon!
Send Message: To this poster

Jean Womack,

Thanks so much for these wonderful little New Year prints and the FIRST
Dragon card! They are all so lovely. Are they lithographs? And, thanks so
much for the photo of yourself. It's nice to have an image go with the
prints. Wow, a treat!

Namaste,
Eileen

Digest Appendix

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

Subject: Brush preparation
Posted by: Dave Bull

After a very long break over the year-end, the ladies have all returned to the shop to pick up where we left off in December.

Yasui-san spent the morning printing mats for the Mystique series prints. When I say 'printing' I mean with our Epson ink-jet printer. This is a monster of a printer, which I can barely carry myself. I know this, because that's what I did this morning - brought it down to the workshop from its usual location in the 'office' upstairs. Yasui-san agreed to do this printing job on the condition that she could do it down here ... and regular readers know why!

She's catching up with back-number prints, and will shortly begin preparation for the shipping of print #18, the one I am currently carving. So this part of our news today should technically be over on the Woodblock RoundTable, where my own work is featured ...

While she worked on that, Tsushima-san was busy with 'real' work (meaning actual print production ...). She is going to make an edition of the Plum Blossom print, which is currently out of stock, and which I have back orders for.

But before she can start actually putting pigment on paper, she needs to get her brushes ready. I ordered some new ones for her last month, and today she worked them over on the sharkskin:

They cut down pretty quickly, and here is what the results look like:

The one on the left has yet to . . .
[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: Maple Proofs
Posted by: Andrew Stone

Well my first creative act of 2012 was to scrape the year 2011 off the keyblock for my slow-to-move-forward Maple branch print. I have been working on it but it just seems to be taking longer than it should. I did go ahead and carve a new 2012 on another block.

My first attempt at proofing was a disaster as my keyblock shifted on all 3 copies making it impossible to see if the registration of subsequent blocks was on.
So last night I had another go.
2 pieces of shin torinoko, one fabriano artistico, one Magnani watercolor paper.

Registration is decent but not perfect. The leaves are too orange/red and not variegated enough--I'll need to play with them during the actual printing.
And I'll need to trim down a bit some of the blocks and adjust at least one kento.
Here are the two variants that look ok.


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

This item is taken from the blog Lacrime di Rospo.
'Reply' to Baren about this item.