Baren Digest             Tuesday, 24 September 2002     Volume 20 : Number 1970


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From: John and Jan Telfer <jtelfer#iinet.net.au>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 02 22:15:40 +0800
Subject: [Baren 19303] Re: Puzzle Print 


>Jan, you're in. Please go to the puzzle page and send in your addy. Someone
>pointed out that I had a duplicate sign up in there.
>http://www.1000woodcuts.com/puzzle/project.html
>I have one other participant from Australia, two from Canada, Italy, Ireland
>(with alt NY address) and Japan. No problem! I will label the thing "gift",
>set the value at zero and cross my fingers.


Thanks, Maria, great news.

You will possibly need to write "woodblock" or something on the envelope 
with "no value" as well.  I just send my prints from here as "printed 
Matter only" and the folios as well as "printed matter" and "Economy 
Class" which gets there as quickly as air express!!!!!

I will be notified if Customs are unsure, believe me!!!

Thanks,
Jan

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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 10:36:47 -0500
Subject: [Baren 19304] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1966 

Design, Carve, Print...  I guess I spend quite a lot of time in the 
'design' phase.  I enjoy the carving immensely, feeling as I go along the 
most accurate and safest and FASTEST ways to clear what shouldn't 
print.  .  But there are infinite ways to carve and the printed result will 
be the same.  In hanga, it is the PRINTING which rules over the print, even 
more than design, and much more than carving.  In hanga, the printing is 
more similar to painting and less similar to western printing tradition...

My first hanga teacher was Hiroki Morinue...  Hiroki is a wonderful guy, 
sweet disposition, quiet, unusually patient.  He liked to say things like, 
"listen to your knife as you carve -- isn't that a wonderful sound?"  I 
attended one of his two-week hanga courses at the Anderson Ranch Arts 
Center in Snowmass, Colorado.  By the way, Anderson Ranch really is a 
wonderful school in a most beautiful location!

One of the students in that class was an older woman who hadn't been 
involved in art since childhood.  She'd signed up for the course hoping for 
some interesting way to pass a few weeks and had expected lectures and 
slide shows.  She was terrified and inhibited and reluctant to commit to 
ANY activity in the class beyond asking 1,000 questions, turning a deaf ear 
to 1,000 responses, and worrying and complaining and being totally 
'bored'.  She 'wasted' three days in this kind of procrastination, finally 
managing to draw some crude sort of design onto her blocks.  Almost 
completely lacking experience with her knives or any similar tool, she 
pushed into her block, tearing more than cutting a little bit of the wood 
from each block in very shallow splinters.  Her hands ached and shook, she 
made painfully slow progress and often lost her temper, sometimes throwing 
down her tool and loudly exclaiming what a stupid class this was and how 
she just didn't "get" it.  After a couple of more days, her blocks were 
almost intact except for small areas where she'd managed to worry parts of 
the surface.  She 'gave up' carving and began to print --

I wish I could tell you that her prints were miraculously wonderful, but 
they were NOT!  They were just icky!  She was so completely frustrated and 
disgusted!  Her papers were soppy, ink oozing and running everywhere -- you 
might want to believe that the results were interesting in some random way, 
but honestly -- they were not.  She just made a dozen or so soaking wet 
papers which appeared to have been daubed with mud and unaesthetic globs of 
wet watercolor.  She had inked and printed each block onto her papers a 
single time and had managed to get color where in all the places she had 
not intended to put color and had been unable to print solidly in those 
places where she wanted intense color...  And in an hour she announced that 
she was 'finished' and what was she supposed to do "NOW"?...

The teacher announced a printing demonstration, and he gathered us around 
his little printing station in the middle of the floor and asked if anyone 
had a "nice set of blocks" he could borrow for his demonstration.  Most of 
us students offered up blocks, but teacher selected the crude blocks of 
this one adult whose attempts I have already described.  And he also got 
permission to 'borrow' three or four of her worst prints for the 
demonstration. He sat for a few minutes looking quietly at her blocks and 
prints, and then began.  He inked one of her ugly little blocks with a 
pink-gray bokashi in a sweeping curve and began to print the three or four 
sheets...  He printed some iterations with great pressure of the baren, he 
printed others using the baren as if it and his arm were completely 
weightless.  He looked briefly at each print before deciding which block to 
print and where and how to apply color.  In half an hour or an hour, he'd 
passed her papers over the two or three blocks 30 or 40 times, improvising 
the most stunning and beautiful and subtle images --abstract hanga monoprints.

We were deeply impressed with his lesson -- that the 'art' is mostly in the 
printing.  Our teacher had a well-developed ability to 'respond' to the 
current condition of the print (and of the students!) and managed to make 
some improvement with each pass of the paper over block until he decided he 
was 'done'.  Even the 'backward' student became a bit more liberated and 
her level of satisfaction improved along with her prints.

Design, carving, printing -- all are important -- but it is the printing 
more than anything which can 'make' or 'break' the print, I think.

Plus, there is that overwhelming meditative aspect to printing hanga -- 
moving meditation -- the body working hard, the rhythmical motion, the mind 
fully concentrated in the moment.  Very uplifting and very satisfying activity!

- -- Mike

Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com 

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From: "Rudolf Stalder" <stalderp#mindspring.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:38:08 -0700
Subject: [Baren 19305] anatomy 

Hi all, not about woodcuts

"The Human Anatomy"

http://www.rst-art.com/ana-ind.htm

a short outlay for artists, in collaboration with Darrell Madis.
Off-line comments welcome

best wishes

Rudolf 



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From: G Wohlken <blueman#pantek.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 12:13:33 +0000
Subject: [Baren 19306] Help with ink on book pages 

Do we have bookbinders and paper workers among us?  I recieved this 
email and thought, though it doesn't have to do with printmaking, and 
especially doesn't have anything to do with woodcuts, it could be 
interesting to know the answer since we do work with paper.  You can 
write to me off list or answer here as others may be interested in the 
answer.

Gayle


>Dear Gayle Wohlken,
>
>I have a question that I thought you or someone you know could answer.  Please
>help me if you can in any way.
>
>I have an old book, which has pen (ink) markings on its cover (Somehow my
>"careful" friend let his 4-year-old boy doodle all over it!)  I am very upset.
> It happened to be a very valueable book to me.  The ink is from a regular
>black ball-point pen.  The book is a hardcover book with thick paper material
>wich is colored.
>
>Is there anything I can do to clear the ink off?  Please help.  Thank you for
>your time.
>
>Haig Nersesyan
>
>  >




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From: Mike Lyon <mikelyon#mlyon.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 11:22:44 -0500
Subject: [Baren 19307] Re: Baren Digest V20 #1956 

Hi, Marilynn...

Contact me, Mike Lyon, if you feel that you haven't received enough postage 
(or have any other problems) to cover mailing costs and I'll see that you 
come out "whole"...

The Baren Exchange "rules" are here: 
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/rules.html
The Exchange 14 "details" are here: 
http://www.barenforum.org/exchange/exchange_14/exchange_14.html

If you'll let me know OFF-LIST (click here to send email directly to me: 
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com ) who it is who did not send return postage, I'll 
try to expedite it...

For what it's worth, my experience is that many participants are kind 
enough to send more than the required amount of postage.  That usually 
makes up for those who 'forget'...

Exchange coordinators need the patience of Job, the wisdom of Solomon, and 
the forgiving nature of a Saint, don't you think   :-)   ??

- -- Mike



At 09:03 AM 9/22/2002 -0700, you wrote:

>A reminder to all I am following all the rules of the regualar Baren 
>exchanges.  I have not opened these last packets as I am in the moving 
>process and will wait until I can take them over to the studio.  Please 
>please remember to include your return postage.  I have one set of prints 
>that did not include postage.  I sent a nice note to the individual and 
>that person responded on Sept 6, but still I have not recieved the 
>postage.  As I recall, and I could not find the rules for the exchanges on 
>Baren, anyone who does not send return postage does not recieve prints 
>back until the postage is recieved.  Is this correct and if so who on the 
>Baren administration do I contact about this if I do not recieve the 
>return postage by the first part of October???
>Marilynn


Mike Lyon
mailto:mikelyon#mlyon.com
http://www.mlyon.com 

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

From: <Philip238#copper.net>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 10:07:14 -0700
Subject: [Baren 19308] Re: Help with ink on book pages 

Gayle, your friend Haig, didn't say if the ball point pen marks were across
printed type or not. And with colored pages.
I tried an experiment on some rag printing paper with good results. I have
some "EXTRA LEMON" in a squirt bottle [much like the orange cleaner
advertised on TV, I think] I put that on, rubbed it with a paper towel, then
put some mineral spirits on and again rubbed it with a paper towel, dried it
under my halogen lamp and the ink marks were gone. But on a book, where pulp
paper is used, I don't know. Then there's the type to deal with.
Good luck.
Philip
Hammond, OR
USA

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From: "Maria Arango" <maria#mariarango.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 17:20:02 -0700
Subject: [Baren 19309] playing with wood  

First, some of my blocks are all fattened up and going to market; thought it
might be of mild interest to see them framed all dressed up and ready to go
party.
http://www.1000woodcuts.com/galleries/blocksgallery/blocks2001.html

The other woody issue is the wood for the puzzle. I am now in possession of
two gorgeous solid cherry blocks (joined panels 18 x 24 inches/45.72 x 60.96
cm). Ladies and gentlemen, sharpen your tools! For those who have never cut
cherry before, it might seem at first a bit tougher than shina or birch. But
when you realize that there is no splintering and no crumbling and your cuts
can get as sinuous and sexy as you wish...oh my...
Anyhow, I thought the project was deserving of solid cherry wood.

As soon as the rest of you puzzled-ones mosie on over to the confirmation
page, I will know for sure how many pieces. I even bought some new jig-saw
blades for the ocassion, the good kind.
Tha page is here: http://www.1000woodcuts.com/puzzle/project.html, or just
send me an email if you are having browser problems to confirm your
participation and send me your mailing address.

We are on schedule, the design is fluttering from my head to the blocks...

chop chop,
Maria

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Maria Arango
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
maria#mariarango.com
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


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From: "Maria Arango" <maria#mariarango.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 20:12:53 -0700
Subject: [Baren 19310] variable humidity 

WANTED: HUMIDITY EXPERTS!

Okay, so I posted on Baren (yes, I know twice in one day, this is an
emergency!) earlier about my cherry blocks. These particular blocks are
around 3/4" thick (1.90 cm) and are of joined planks. Did I mention they are
beautiful? They have been seasoning in my humble studio for around 9 months,
having originated in the East Coast of USA and milled in Mexico (that's
where the wood was shipped from).

Anyhow, my previous post was received by a knowledgeable and trusted source
who immediately warned me about warping. These blocks will travel to places
of various humidities, then travel back to my single humidity environment.
Having been split from their original stable whole, is it fair to assume
that warping will be a big problem?  Would plywood be a more stable matrix?
PHlywoooooood? For our master-phieceeee? Oh oh, say it ain't so!

Whilst the forum answers my desperate queries, I will go chop some
experimental blocks and toss them in the pool tomorrow (any excuse to go
swimming...). Then I will dry them out in the sun and see what happens (any
excuse to lay out in the sun...). The experiment was also my benefactor's
idea, by the by.

Maria, anxiously awaiting a flat answer

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Maria Arango
Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
http://www.1000woodcuts.com
maria#mariarango.com
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


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From: Artsmadis#aol.com
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 00:22:16 EDT
Subject: [Baren 19311] Re: variable humidity 

In a message dated 9/23/02 10:11:36 PM Central Daylight Time, 
maria#mariarango.com writes:

<< Would plywood be a more stable matrix?
 PHlywoooooood? For our master-phieceeee? Oh oh, say it ain't so! >>

I think it's so.  And with 7 or 8 months to knock around various studios in 
ghastly conditions there's no telling what the result might be to individual 
blocks.

Darrell

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

From: <Philip238#copper.net>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 21:29:10 -0700
Subject: [Baren 19312] Re: variable humidity 

Maria, don't use your good cherry wood on this project, Play it safe and use
plywood. Everyone will be happy with that I'm sure. Save that cherry wood
for something special, of yours.
My dos centavos.
Philip
Hammond, OR
USA

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From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 23:40:14 -0500
Subject: [Baren 19313] Re: playing with wood - the math 09/23/2002 11:44:05 PM 

Maria writes:
"...I am now in possession of two gorgeous solid cherry blocks (joined
panels 18 x 24 inches/45.72 x 60.96 cm). "

Someone help me with the math here...let's see...2 blocks..at 18X24" equals
864 sq. inches..divided approx. by 42 participants...equals approx. 20.5
sq. inches per participant give or take on Maria's overall design...or
individual carving blocks of an approx. carving size of 4X5" ????

Is that about right ? Is that accurate enough to start the design ideas
flowing ?...oops
I forgot about orientation !!! Gonna have to wait, Darn it !

Julio



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From: Jack Reisland <reislandj001#hawaii.rr.com>
Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 18:52:37 -1000
Subject: [Baren 19314] Re: variable humidity 

Hi Maria,

I see no reason to expect the rather small pieces of 3/4" cherry to warp when
shipped around. They may -marginally- expand, but only by very small amounts,
and when shipped back to your environment, they will all stabilize back to a
consistent size fairly quickly. The problem with shipping wooden things around
are when you are dealing with objects that built up of several pieces of wood,
with opposing grain directions. Then expansion and contraction can wreck havoc.

 Jack R.

Maria Arango wrote:


> WANTED: HUMIDITY EXPERTS!
>
> Anyhow, my previous post was received by a knowledgeable and trusted source
> who immediately warned me about warping. These blocks will travel to places
> of various humidities, then travel back to my single humidity environment.
> Having been split from their original stable whole, is it fair to assume
> that warping will be a big problem?
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><>



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From: FurryPressII#aol.com
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 01:06:46 EDT
Subject: [Baren 19315] Re: variable humidity 

how small will the pieces be?   if small not a problem   and besides the 
blocks will be back were they came from.    humidity causes wood to expand 
but as they will be back home they will be back to normal.

john

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

From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com
Date: Tue, 24 Sep 2002 00:12:16 -0500
Subject: [Baren 19316] Re: variable humidity 09/24/2002 12:16:08 AM 

Maria writes:
"..Having been split from their original stable whole, is it fair to assume
that warping will be a big problem? "

Uhmmmmm ...warping ? Maria I don't know about 3/4" thick blocks warping
unless the changes are really drastic...specially with the small size you
are mailing...after all the small blocks are not going to be printed or go
near water. I think maybe I be more concerned with external pressures in
the wood released after cutting and expansion, specially since you said
they were joined-blocks...but even that I don't think would happen.

Besides by the time you mail we will be in October....?  so not the
contrasts of summer/winter.....and you should get the blocks back in the
spring...again...not the too extreme.....(except of course in Vegas where
is always extreme!)

Maybe....I am not sure....since I keep all my wood down in the basement
where is a cool 69 degrees all around...

bla, bla, bah.......Julio



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End of Baren Digest V20 #1970
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