Baren Digest Tuesday, 23 January 2001 Volume 14 : Number 1295 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: GWohlken Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 08:51:43 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13055] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1294 Funny you people brought up the subject about wood and its innate mystery. I was thinking the same thing yesterday. I worked on a snake and even though I was using poplar, which makes a fuzzy line, I was trying on one of these to manipulate the wood and found myself not enjoying it. The end result wasn't enjoyable either. I was tired of it and it bored me by the time I made the print. I started another one on a scrap of poplar I found--did the carving on the clean half of an already carved board just as a whim. It was fun, and it made me realize hanga style carving isn't for everyone. The wood itself is my darling, and the print is the wood's own imprint from my gouges feeling their way into that wood. I already have shown people on Baren After Five this portrait I just finished of my cousin Marty. Look at that mess, Dave! But, I like the character it gives Marty and when I sent him a jpeg of it he said: > You have honored and flattered me! I love it! > http://homepage.mac.com/gwohlken/.Pictures/Portraits/Marty%20Dowell.jpg Hanga is beautiful and I admire it immensely. I have a book called "Woodcuts" which has several examples of hanga as it covers the history of woodcuts and that was my first to even know about it. If you are an expressionist at heart, however, I think the wood is going to whisper to you no matter what your intentions. Gayle ------------------------------ From: Shireen Holman Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 10:05:14 -0500 Subject: [Baren 13056] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1294 At 08:51 AM 1/22/01 -0500, Gayle wrote: >I already have shown people on Baren After Five this >portrait I just finished of my cousin Marty. Look at that mess, Dave! >But, I like the character it gives Marty Very nice portrait Gayle. It doesn't look a bit like a mess to me. I think that in the final analysis, the artwork has to stand on it's own, and whether or not the artist makes use of the wood as part of the work just depends on the artist's own style and preference. It would be sort of like saying that cross-hatching is better or worse than gradual shading when you make a drawing - is it necessary to show individual pencil marks because it's a drawing? Does it matter? Shireen *********************************************** Shireen Holman, Printmaker and Book Artist email: shireenh@earthlink.net http://www.shireenholman.com *********************************************** ------------------------------ From: "Bea Gold" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 07:40:04 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13057] Re: Baren Digest v14 #1294 charset="iso-8859-1" You all make me realize why I used to love carving on old pine boards, and any other wood that had a surface to cut. I would go into the lumber yard and look at the wood and buy a board and have them cut it into different lengths so that I would be challenged to cut to fit what ever size I had on hand. I looked for knots that would add to my print. They always had wonderful character. Shina is easier but a little boring. I enjoyed your Marty too, Gayle. Bea ------------------------------ From: "Jean Eger" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 10:22:33 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13058] snakes charset="iso-8859-1" Dan Dew, maybe Brad Schwartz would be willing to loan you the Printmakers e-group for "salon de refuses exchange." Well, I have lots of ideas of what other people should be doing.... It'll come back on me the next time I miss a sign-up. I have a new "I want to be like..." My latest is, I want to be able to cut wood like Shireen Holman did in her print of the snake from Stonehenge. I admired it when it arrived. I looked at it by the hallway entrance light at night and thought it was a black and white print. Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw it in daylight and discovered it was a beautifully subtle three-color print. Oh, the tragedy of old, old eyes. Staring into the brightly lighted computer screen doesn't help them open up in the dark, either. ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 14:46:12 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13059] plug for Yuri Hi all, Just thought I would let everyone know that Yuri's wood (yuri@forestmachines.com, website in my http://www.1000woodcuts.com/artsupplies.html) is wonderful! I ordered two 24" x 36" boards finished on both sides and they look absolutely maaaaaawrvelous. I can't wait to start carving on them. They are better finished and feel much more solid than the birch I have been able to buy locally. Now, for the next car print... On the woodcutty woodcuts issue, I think there is indeed a basic difference between the use of wood by printers and by printmakers. The traditional Japanese way grew out of a printing tradition. We modern printmakers are "processists" if I may invent a word. The process of making a print is indeed the enjoyment for many of us. Now if I only had Dave's carving skills! Having said that, I remember reading in one of the books available in the Encyclopedia that a certain Japanese printmaker would print the uncarved block first to get a feel for hte wood. If at the end of the print run he had not "honored the wood" he would discard the edition in shame. I also remember a certain Canadian printmaker living in Japan spending inordinate amounts of time gathering some appropriate cherry wood. So I think Dave is yanking our chain a bit to get the conversation going. In any case, as someone mentioned, respect for the materials of the craft (whether regarded as mere tools or as the essence of the craft) is important in the art. Health to all, Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: Sunnffunn@aol.com Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 19:33:37 EST Subject: [Baren 13060] Re: plug for Yuri good tools and good materials make creating easier. Good paper makes the piece better quality and good wood I should think would have the same effect????? ------------------------------ From: "pwalls1234" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 19:13:31 -0600 Subject: [Baren 13061] Re: plug for Yuri charset="iso-8859-1" Maria, I did not see those wood sizes on Yuri's page?? Special Order??? What kind of price are something like that? Thanks, pete baton rouge ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 18:03:36 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13062] Re: wood charset="iso-8859-1" Yes this was a special order. I think big sometimes, but 24" x 36" is one intimidating large piece of wood! I paid $35 a piece plus shipping. Already started drawing on one of them so soon I will report how they carve. They taste pretty good :-) Maria <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> Maria Arango Las Vegas, Nevada, USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com maria@mariarango.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><> ------------------------------ From: "JD Roehrig" Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 21:54:19 -0700 Subject: [Baren 13063] wood from Yuri I order a Dozen 14"x18", which with shipping and discount worked out to be 12.63 each. I am quite happy since even =20 at the specialty house's, the birch would end up with voids and apple core, around this area. JD Roehrig =20 Capitan, New Mexico ------------------------------ From: Lawrence Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2001 17:39:03 +1100 Subject: [Baren 13064] One of my books online ... For those of you who are curious, I have just digitized a book of prints that I did a few years ago onto my site. The book is lino block and letterpress. http://www.vurtmedia.com/garden/ Regards Lawrence ------------------------------ From: B Mason Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 23:16:47 -0800 Subject: [Baren 13067] books Lawrence, Very nice prints. How big are they? It is always so nice to see what everyone is doing. Sometimes we are so locked into these exchanges we have signed up for we forget we all actually do other work! Barbara ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest v14 #1295 *****************************