Baren Digest             Saturday, 14 December 2002     Volume 21 : Number 2059


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

From: "April Vollmer" <april#aprilvollmer.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:12:16 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20100] RE: Baren Digest V21 #2058 

Janet, the Lower East Side Printshop sale day was a lot of fun, I am no
longer a keyholder, but am in the holiday portfolio. It is always a great
time to catch up with other printmakers at LESP.

"The Benefit Print Portfolio 2002 features new prints by nine exciting New
York City artistsÐAnn Aspinwall, Mildred BeltrŽ, Jane Kent, Felix Plaza,
Miriam Schaer, Annie Leah Sommers, Mark Dean Veca, April Vollmer, Lynne
Yamamoto. The artists donated their latest works to benefit the Printshop's
programs for artists and the community." http://www.printshop.org/home.html

best,

April
www.aprilvollmer.com


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

From: Bette Wappner <bettewappner#earthlink.net>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:19:59 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20101] Re: soft block 

IMHO, the best soft block material equally popular are:

"Mars Stadtler" (found at arts and craft stores or online) or

"PZ-Kut" (only found at http://www.investorsnet.com/stampeaz )

Both are the most preferred among soft block carvers and will give you fine
crisp edges/lines/details.  I know of a soft block carver who has kept her
blocks since the 1970's stored in air-tight containers, wrapped seperately
in paper, not touching any other blocks that still print - even though
they've turned a little hard - but hey- that's not bad given the fact that
the rubber is over 30 years old and not even the quality that soft block is
today!

In addition to a good carving tool, an X-acto blade or even a "Testors"
brand blade (the kind sold in the plastic craft models section) is preferred
over the X-acto blade because its blade is longer.

Hope this helps.
Bette.
 


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

From: "PHARE-CAMP,PATTI (HP-USA,ex1)" <patricia_phare-camp#hp.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 07:35:03 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20102] RE: Baren Digest V21 #2057

"Has anyone else used this product?? Louise Cass" 

I have used similar products.  They are OK.  I like to use them for teaching
children.  I also like to use them to make greeting cards.  I've done
several multi-color Christmas cards and notecards using these and it was
fun. I don't want to spend a great deal of time carving an item people often
throw away so I don't use them for large woodcuts (actually I've discovered
that some of my friends and relatives have been saving and framing them, but
I'm sure a lot more get tossed).  When I do larger pieces I often have a lot
of detail and the rubber material is too soft to carve thin lines. I also do
not use my good knives on these products.  I use the cheap $5 student set of
6 knives on this stuff only. There seems to be a lot of moisture or
something corrosive in these blocks and it can pit good knives.

It does crumble easy and the block will split in two if you bend it to much,
but the easy cutting makes it a good tool for cutting something quickly that
doesn't have a lot of detailed line.

Patti P-C

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

From: slinders#attbi.com
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 09:36:10 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20103] Re: interesting couple of weeks 

Hi, Barbara, 

Thank you for your beautiful gift to those kids--and to
yourself!  

When June comes around, which of the days of this whole school
year will these kids remember with joy and the great "Aha!" of
learning?  Most likely it will be one of these eight days.  You
have allowed these youngsters to know that the part of them that
NEEDS TO MAKE ART is an important part of them! (and you give
them hope and proof that they can still make art when they 'grow
up'!)

(You may think that you're too old, but it's an terrific way to
stay young!)

Perhaps a newspaper there needs to know about this happy story.

Your detailed description of the process on Printmakers should
make it easier for teachers (or us!) to follow your footsteps! 
Congratulations to you!

Sharen

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

From: "Cynthia S. Bendix" <contact-print#juno.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 07:53:53 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20104] Re: interesting couple of weeks 

Barbara,
What a wonderful and inspiring story. Just when I feel like I'm making
art in a vacuum, you send along a story that reminds me that art does
matter. It made a big difference in my young life and you helped it make
a difference in theirs. Bless You!
Thea

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

From: Vishnovus#aol.com
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 11:04:38 EST
Subject: [Baren 20105] Re: interesting couple of weeks 

What a terrific story!
One of my clearest memories of primary school was the day the art teacher Mrs 
Bell brought speedball lino cutters, blocks and ink to class. She also made 
herself available after school for those of us who loved this activity. 
You are making a huge impact on the lives of these children. Thank You!
Ld

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

From: b.patera#att.net
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 17:23:44 +0000
Subject: [Baren 20106] Re: interesting couple of weeks 

Barbara,

What a wonderful story. And what a wonderful experience for those children. I'm 
sure that those few hours spent "making art" will be the one of the  highlights 
of their lives for quite a while. Maybe of yours too.... I was the "art lady" 
at a local headstart for several years and a few weeks ago a teenaged boy 
approached me to tell me that he was Anthony (last seen when 5 years old) and 
how much he had enjoyed doing those art projects. I'll tell you that that made 
my day.

Barbara P. 

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

From: "marilynn smih" <marilynnsmih#hotmail.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 10:23:39 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20107] Re: Baren Digest V21 #2058 

Barbara what a wonderful story about working with the children.  My daughter 
is teaching a second grade class much like you describe in north Las Vegas.  
She has asked me to teach an art lesson to her class when we drive down next 
October.  I am a bit uncertain and at that time I will pick your brain and a 
few others online who work with the children.  Some of these kids are in 
homeless shelters and some do not even have books at home.  So art is not 
something they really get to do much of.  Unfortunately in Oregon, 
especially, they have cut the teachers and programs so badly that our 
children do not get exposure to extras.  Many talented new teachers with 
educations (masters from Lewis and Clark) that are excellent are leaving 
Oregon and south is much more supportive. My hat is off to you and others 
like you Barbara for giving your talent to our children. Our children truly 
are the future and you just might open a talented young mind who will become 
a fabulous future artist.
Marilynn



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

From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 18:14:57 -0600
Subject: [Baren 20108] Re: F. Morley Fletcher on printmaking..... 12/13/2002 06:20:40 PM 

Those of you that have been around on Baren for a while may recognize the
name F. Morley Fletcher. I picked up a little beauty of a book by Mr.
Fletcher and since it arrived this afternoon I have not been able to put it
down.  Besides the fact that the book comes with an original hand-made
print by the author, the simple but yet to the point descriptions are full
of the high level stuff hardly touched on by other books. Every page seems
to have little gems of information on the traditional moku hanga. I find
the following paragraph(s) in the introduction particularly fitting to our
modern day struggle to give hand-made printmaking it's rightful place among
the arts. You can easily substitute the word "computer" for Mr. Fletcher's
"machine".

"In these days the need for reference to primitive handicrafts has not
ceased with the advent of the machine. The best achievements of hand-work
will always be the standards for reference; and on their study must machine
craft be based. The machine can only increase the power and scale of the
crafts that have already been perfected by hand-work. Their principles, and
the art of their design, do not alter under the machine. If the machine
disregards these it's work becomes base. And it is under the simple
conditions of handicraft that the principles of an art can be most clearly
experienced."

"The best of all the wonderful and excellent work that is produced to-day
by machinery is that which bears evidence in itself of it's derivation from
arts under the pure conditions of classic craftsmanship, and shows the
influence of their work."

Words that apply as well today (I think) as when Mr. Fletcher wrote this
manual in 1916 !!!!!

For those of you first tackling moku hanga and/or in need of aid for
exchange #15....or just in case you are in the mood for some reading...I
highly recommend this book....thanks to Barenforum.org... the book is
available for download or to read at your leisure at the barenforum.org
library:

http://woodblock.com/encyclopedia/entries/011_03/011_03_frame.html


thanks...Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois)

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

From: Jack Reisland <reislandj001#hawaii.rr.com>
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 16:51:26 -1000
Subject: [Baren 20109] Thanks Graphic Chemical! 

I just wanted to say thanks to Dean and the rest of the staff at Graphic
Chemical and Ink. I called in an order to them last week, and Dean and
Susan flew with it here to Hawaii the next day! Now that's service!
Well, OK, maybe they had planned to come anyway, but thanks for bringing
my ink. Nice people to do business with.

Jack Reisland


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

End of Baren Digest V21 #2059
*****************************