Baren Digest                Friday, 22 June 2001        Volume 15 : Number 1467


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From: "April Vollmer" <april@aprilvollmer.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 09:18:53 -0400
Subject: [Baren 14924] Plans and Levitations Invitation charset

In the spirit of Gregory's Castilian peasants,(Haz bien y no mires a quien
or 'Do the right thing and don't look at other
people')--I would like to invite all and sundry to my opening of digital and
woodblock prints at the Ceres Project Room Thursday, June 28 from 5:00 to
7:00 p.m. I make the best prints I can with the media at hand and label them
for what they are. I hope the show is elucidating for those confused about
printmaking categories but it's mainly about my art!

The Ceres Project Room is located at 323 West 39th Street, Room 306. The
exhibition runs from June 28 until July 21, 2001. Gallery hours are Fridays
from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m. and by
appointment. To schedule additional times please call 212-677-5691, or
e-mail av@aprilvollmer.com

This exhibition uses the computer to explore the mathematical underpinnings
of natural forms. Measured architectural plans offer a whimsical structure
for arrays of plants and animals, suggesting personal diagrams of the
cosmos. The digital prints are constructed in the computer using multiple
layers, the same way that other kinds of color prints are structured.

You can see images from the show on my website at www.aprilvollmer.com

April



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From: Michael Schneider <mikasch@mail.t0.or.at>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 15:36:45 +0200 (CEST)
Subject: [Baren 14925] Re: Plans and Levitations Invitation 

April,

I am afraid I won«t make it there, but I would love to see the exhibition.
"TOI TOI TOI"

michael schneider

Vienna Austria

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From: b.patera@att.net
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 15:30:14 +0000
Subject: [Baren 14926] Salon de Refuse 

Hi Dan,

The prints arrived yesterday. They are wonderful and to 
add to the excitement, Jan Telfer and I were able to 
view them together. We were both impressed.
Thanks again for coordintating this exchange.

Regards, Barbara P.

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From: baren_member@barenforum.org (Kent Kirkpatrick)
Date: 21 Jun 2001 15:55:07 -0000
Subject: [Baren 14927] e-bay ad 

Message posted by: Kent Kirkpatrick

Hello,
 
A lurker steps from the shadows to say  put my vote in the 
yes column for Eli's idea of an advertisement on ebay for a 
pamphlet
discerning the differences of a Glicee print and that of a 
fine art or hand pulled print.  Although I have doubts on how 
many
pamplets will be sold (I would suggest something in the 
advertisement itself that is informative as well),. I cannot 
construe such an
idea as a negative one as a few that have gone before me 
suggest.  Pointing out differences has never  been to me a 
negative
concept.
 
By day I work, by night I lurk.
 
Kent Kirkpatrick
Portland, Oregon U.S.A.


------------------------------

From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 09:29:16 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14928] Sunshine Artist charset="iso-8859-1" 

Sunshine Artist is a magazine that lists art festivals across the country
along with relevant articles on the business. Recently there was much
protest raised against promoters that employ what has been know as "the
cruel rule." This rule states that either no reproductions are allowed in
certain art festivals or limits reproductions accompanied by a majority of
original art.
Note that plenty of the finest (top ten) art festivals allow limited
reproductions, >>as long as they are labeled as such<<. Meaning that the
"cruel rule" does not affect quality of the show, it is merely employed as a
promoter's preference to have or not to have original art exclusively.
Note also that reproductions are in essence a buy/sell product, as the
artist's hand has little to do with the process of making them. Buy/sell
products have their place in the art/craft festival world, but not in the
ones I choose to apply for.
Anyhow, so much whining was generated that I felt compelled to respond in
support of the promoters, my first ever letter to an editor. It is now in
print, for better or worse. Let's hope my booth does not get burned down by
the angry masses at the next festival.

***************
To: Sunshine Artist, ReaderÕs Letters
Re: ÒThe Cruel RuleÓ on reproductions
From: Maria Arango, Printmaker

I read with amusement the designation of the practice of prohibiting or
limiting reproductions as: Òthe cruel rule.Ó I am a printmaker, the kind
with cherry wood splinters embedded in my hands (I mostly do woodcut
prints), over-developed shoulder muscles from rubbing the back of the paper
with a baren, and a permanent residue of ink under my fingernails.

First, please understand I have absolutely nothing against painters and
watercolorists making reproduction of their works and selling them in the
same shows I attend, postcards and all. I too feel that many attendees want
to walk away from a booth with something but cannot always afford an
expensive original. Lately I have been hand-printing smaller Òcard-printsÓ
to boost my sales.

I have much against reproductions being called Òprints.Ó Stone/plate
lithographs, etchings and engravings, woodcuts and wood engravings,
serigraphs and collagraphsÉthose are prints. IÕm not making this up, check
the latest issue of Art Law, by the Practicing Institute of Law for complete
definitions, born out of litigation. A Òlimited editionÓ of 5,000 makes as
much sense as buying one of 10,000,000 bean bag babies for their collectorÕs
value. Nothing against disseminating images to those who canÕt afford
originals, but they are being called Òprints,Ó thereby raising the hairs in
the back of many a printmakerÕs neck.
The fault mostly lies with the printing industry found out they could make
reproductions for dollars, sell them to artists for much much more than
that, who then have to cover their costs by selling them for more than a
copper engraver could ever sell a drypoint. A printmaker is left trying to
educate the public on an issue that is so deliberately confused that we are
the ones left looking like weÕre nuts.

So whatÕs my point? When you feel that no-reproductions-allowed is Òa cruel
rule,Ó think of this:
- -     I now have to call my works Òlimited edition original fine woodcut printsÓ
which no longer fits on my business card. There was a time in the art world
when saying the word ÒprintÓ already implied such qualifiers.
- -     Had painters and watercolorists called their reproductions ÔreproductionsÕ
from the beginning, there would be no need for a Òcruel ruleÓ today.
- -     People walk into my booth and expect a wood engraving which took 40 hours
to engrave to be sold for $12.00 because it is, after all, an 8Ó x 10Ó.
- -     I could call my oil-based ink prints, Òoriginal oil-on-paper worksÓ and
sell them for twice the price thereby still beating out any oil painter in
the circuit. People would then wonder why that original oil in that other
booth should be worth more than mine.  But I donÕt do that, because that
would be artificially placing a higher value on a work that does not merit
the name. And that, you see, would be wrong.

A print is a print. A reproduction is a reproduction. It is about time that
the finer shows are finally making the distinction between works of art and
mass produced (no matter how carefully and expensively) reproductions.

Respectfully,
Maria Arango, Printmaker
www.1000woodcuts.com

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From: "bemason" <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 09:41:50 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14929] Archives 

Steve,
We would like to write a little article about you and the Spencer and your
intended use of the archives for educational purposes for the newsletter.
Can you send me or email me info to put this togehter? Also some personal
stuff about yourself? Any of course we want one of those dogs jpeged into
the article. Can you send the jpeg to Julio Rodriguez at
Julio.Rodriquez@walgreens.com  for inclusion and maybe a picture of the
Spencer if it is handy

If you want to mail stuff, my address is
Barbara Mason
4440 SW 198th
Aloha OR 97007

Thanks for your help with this, we want to thank you and let the world know
where the archives are!
Barbara

- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Goddard" <goddard@ku.edu>
To: <baren@ml.asahi-net.or.jp>
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2001 12:29 PM
Subject: [Baren 14917] Re: giclees can be original prints.


>
> >Cone was a
> >traditional printer that left it for computer printing and is very
talented
> >in the field.
>
> Yes, he once did a very nice edition of potato prints ( ! ) and now might
> be considered as a new breed of master printer.
>
> Steve
>
>



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From: "Bill H Ritchie Jr" <ritchie@seanet.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 09:44:57 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14930] Prints a Good Investment? charset="iso-8859-1" 

Emeralda Works Tip of the Day to You!

(A play on the old expression, when two people meet, "Top of the day to
you!")

People might project themselves on to their art works. I think of myself
like a slide projector--shining my inner "slide" of the world on to my
block, on to my paper, on to my press or computer or whatever. If I am in a
giclee manufacturing plant, the same idea holds true.

It's the way I cultivate what is human about me--and most of my tips come
from children or other as-yet sophisticated (a benefit of sophistry?)
people. And, sometimes, birds. (I especially like crows. Around here, they
are renown liars and braggarts.)

My teacher, Rolf, said, "I am no machine!" and with that he dismissed the
importance that all HIS prints be alike in an edition.

By projecting ones self--one's best self--onto a printmakingn process, it
remains fun, and fun or intriguing, beautiful, etc. to other people.

I was amazed to read about a person whose parents spent $5K on a print! Wow!
To me that is a LOT of money. I agreed, "Too bad . . ." but later I thought
the collectors were having their own kind of fun--showing other people they
had a lot of money and could spend it that way.

Sure, it could backfire. When they have it appraised five years from now, an
omniscient (there's a word you hardly ever get to use!) appraiser will say,
"Oh, it's worth about $50 today. Add another $250 for the frame. . . ."

It was fun while it lasted, I think it must be so. People--both artist and
collector, appraiser and teacher, printer and publisher--all have the human
right to project something onto the screen we behold.

As I move through the spectrum of media arts--from old fashioned hand
printing (it's been around 30,000 years at least) to the latest in
DVD--those little baren-sized shiny discs that play back in most interesting
ways--it's always the same.

Project your self into the work you do, by hand, or with the involvement of
machines, but never forget the human being we are. Mechanization CAN take
command, and CAN hurt you--and all the children, too, in generations to
come.

Speaking of children and potato prints (did I spell potato correcly? I
always have to look it up now), here's what happened to me one day.

I was teaching our granddaughter how to make potato prints. I had a small,
round red potato. I cut it in half to get started; I cut a hole in the
middle. It would print a doughnut shape. Then I inked it with food coloring
and started to show her the next step and she had eaten the other half!

Ha ha. (BTW, thanks, Jeanne).

- - Bill


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From: Steve Goddard <goddard@ku.edu>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 11:43:30 -0500
Subject: [Baren 14931] Re: e-bay ad 

This link, drafted by the International Fine Print Dealer's Association, 
might be useful in this discussion:
http://www.artline.com/associations/ifpda/text/whatisprint.html

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From: "Gillyin Gatto" <gillying@Maineline.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 13:22:49 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14932] salon des refuse' 

print package arrived yesterday    i was in the studio  a separate building
from  my house   so i didnt hear the car       but when i went home  there
was  a quite large priority packet   in the hallway -i leave my doors open
it had  a tear   about an inch and a half long   but not enough to damage
any of the  wonderful prints     thanks to Dan   and all refuse'-ers
for a very striking group of prints
it is very much fun to participate in  exchanges and to cut, print ,send
and then get back a  huge stack of  amazing  prints   !    i have been
showing  my set of #9 to artist friends  and its fun to learn to put the
print with a name -a personality on the Baren
     i looked at Megan Dew's  prints   and am  very impressed with her
skills at age 12   BRAVO    it shows that she has  a  very
suitable/inspiring mentor        gillyin machias me usa

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From: "bemason" <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 11:13:52 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14933] archives 

   Hello all,
sorry for sending the post to Steve to the whole list, you would think after
three years I would know how to do this.
Barbara

------------------------------

From: Steve Goddard <goddard@ku.edu>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 14:17:33 -0500
Subject: [Baren 14934] Re: archives 

At 11:13 AM 6/21/01 -0700, you wrote:
>    Hello all,
>sorry for sending the post to Steve to the whole list

I manage four lists and I still do it! Back to prints.

Steve

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From: "bemason" <bemason@concentric.net>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 13:34:31 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14935] Re: e-bay ad 

Steve,
This was great!
Barbara

From: "Steve Goddard" <goddard@ku.edu>


> This link, drafted by the International Fine Print Dealer's Association,
> might be useful in this discussion:
> http://www.artline.com/associations/ifpda/text/whatisprint.html
>
>

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From: Julio.Rodriguez@walgreens.com
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 18:03:59 -0500
Subject: [Baren 14936] Re: cats & more cats.... 06/21/2001 06:03:55 PM 

Floating World Galleries (Chicago) has currently an online exhibit ( as
well as many prints for sale on ebay) of japanese
 cat artist Tomoo Inagaki  ( 1902-1980)..he is one my favorite contemporary
and I happen to have one of his small cat prints
given to me as a gift by a friend. Check it out you animal lovers !!!!

http://www.floatingworld.com/thumbs_exh.cfm?qs_exh_Name=InagakiCat

Kool Kats!

Julio


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From: "Maria Arango" <maria@mariarango.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 16:35:11 -0700
Subject: [Baren 14937] exhibits charset="iso-8859-1" 

Also currently for those of you in MO and CO

St. Louis Artist's Guild, June 22-July 12, Prints, Drawings & Pastels, Oak
Knoll Park (corner of Big Bend and Clayton Rd.) in St. Louis Missouri. Two
of my prints made it into the show, one with honorable mention.

National Works on Paper Exhibition, June 22-July 8, CORE New Art Space in
Denver Colorado (2045 Larimer St.). Also two prints won the luck of the
draw.

Much traveling coming up in the Fall season, I hope to see some Bareners out
there. Seems like there are more and more of these paper or prints
competitions/exhibitions going on, which is a good trend. Since woodcuts and
wood engravings are a bit on the rare side, I encourage everyone to
participate when possible.

Maria

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From: Sunnffunn@aol.com
Date: Thu, 21 Jun 2001 22:41:32 EDT
Subject: [Baren 14938] Re: more on giclees 

Excuse me but this woman that I know at the coast is sort of a friend and 
sort of an acquaintance.  I heard she was doing these copies of her 
watercolors through the local book store, not through her.  She is selling 
them at the local Saturday market and I have never had any control over 
anything this woman does.  I called her a friend because I am friendly and 
people I meet and know over time seem to me to be friends, as are the 
bareners I enjoy so much.  I can not control her but I can if I get a chanch 
try to educate her.  But the buying public goes on vacation and wants "art" 
to take home and wants it cheap.  This is what they buy??????  I can tell 
them all day long that it is not art and they will not listen because the 
dollar amount they pay is less.  some with time will open up to understand 
and I hope listen as I attempt with all of the rest or you to educate the 
public about what they are buying.  But these people who make copies are 
there and they call them prints and we can't stop them. The public thinks art 
should be cheap they even thinnk we should give it to them because we were 
given this talent  and it is a gift we should some how share for free,  not 
the hard work we all know it truly is.  
Barbara I was unaware that it was required in Oregon to put a statement of 
authencity on my prints, interesting.  I will be doing it from now on for 
certain.
Marilynn


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End of Baren Digest V15 #1467
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