Baren Digest             Wednesday, 22 January 2003     Volume 22 : Number 2104


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From: G Wohlken <blueman#pantek.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 08:41:12 +0000
Subject: [Baren 20501] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2102 

Wanda said:


>whereas colors such as
>reds & oranges are some kind of metal oxide thing, which is not easily water
>soluble.  This is not meant to be a chemical analysis - but an overview.
>


Maybe that's why my red is coming out mottled.  I'm using Akua color, 
but the color has strange dots in it, in spite of paste.
Gees, and I have a lot of red in my image, too.  The black sumi is 
printing well.  And I STILL am confused as to which side of the paper to 
work on.  I wrote to McClain's since they, too,  know paper for hanga 
pretty well.  It was suggested that the paper I ordered may have been 
older and the sizing is breaking down.  That's an interesting idea.  I 
may have to toss a coin and see which side to print on.  Smooth to the 
touch and completely dull (matte) to the eye?  Or  Shiney to the eye, 
but rough to the touch.  Which would you guys do?  I'm running a couple 
experiments today and printing some one one side and some on the other 
and see what I get.

I am still confused as to how to get lighter tints with Akua Color.  As 
it comes from the "jar" it's bright and if I want to make a paler, more 
delicate tone, do I use extender (a bottle of it came with the "kit" I 
ordered)?  I understand water doesn't give the kind of results needed. 
 If that's the case, I can't see any way to use it to tint the water 
I'll be using when I dampen the paper for printing.  I would like a way 
to get rid of that extreme whiteness of the paper.  I could use water 
color I guess.  

Yeah, it sounds like a lot of us are hiking in a new woods, here.  

Gayle in Ohio
  



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From: "PHARE-CAMP,PATTI (HP-USA,ex1)" <patricia_phare-camp#hp.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 11:32:48 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20502] RE: Baren Digest V22 #2102 

Maria et al:  All the "problems" you've written of are the very thing that
makes woodcut prints wonderful.  These are all the evidence of a natural
plate (wood) and a human hand.  I admire the masterly hanga prints, with a
great appreciation for the extreme skill that goes into the making.  But as
an art I love when the nuances of the wood are brought into play (ie: grain,
cut marks and knots).  As an art history teacher said when viewing some of
the exchange 14 prints that were hanga...why bother with the wood...well of
course we printers all realize that we bother with the wood because it's a
take anywhere with you medium, and because it's warm and carries an essence
of life within it (so that the print is actually a collaboration between
artist and wood).  But I understood what she was trying to say.  The charm
of a woodcut is when it looks like a woodcut...OK Carol W. I know you love
smooth perfection we've had this debate a hundred times...Not to say that I
don't yearn to learn the Hanga method.  I see it as a stepping stone to
incorporate in perfecting my own techniques, that incorporate the blotches,
knots, grain, cut marks and intentional/unintentional mis-registrations that
make a woodcut a human made artifact (as opposed to the perfection of
machine made poster).

Maria et al:  I just know all of your prints will be wonderful, wonderful
works of art.  The perfectly imperfect adding to the wonder!

Patti P-C

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From: JMartin906#aol.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 11:36:53 EST
Subject: [Baren 20503] brush strokes and lines 


re. exchange 15

Hey, I thought brush strokes could be a good thing in hanga.  And are the 
lines that persistently show up, even though you keep carving them away, 
really bad?  I am OK with the lines and brush strokes, but I am peeved that I 
am having trouble keeping ink out of the margins.  

I appreciated the remarks by Julio and Mike about keeping the paper up off 
the parts of the block you don't want to print-- carved and uncarved.  I know 
from cutting lino. that you need to round the edges you leave to hold up the 
paper.  I sand them in lino, I assume that I would round them the same way in 
wood, right? 

When I was ready to start my carving for this exchange I called McClains to 
order more all-shina plywood and they were on vacation for a couple of weeks. 
 I panicked and decided to cut some blocks I had into the right size so I 
could begin carving. It took 2 blocks to add up to the right shape. I think I 
have planned things so you won't be able to tell, but so far I am just 
proofing the 2 blocks individually....so I am just not sure.....  everything 
always turns out to be more complicated than you first imagine.

Suzi  


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From: "Jeanne N. Chase" <studiojnc#prodigy.net>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 11:46:56 -0500
Subject: [Baren 20504] Re: brush strokes and lines 

I, too, love the look of a woodcut when the lines and little
imperfections show up in the print.=20 It is like a ceramic vase.
If it has a mold and can be duplicated 100 times as opposed to
seeing the potters thumb prints and the not quite rounded
shapes.

I love the way the Hanga print looks, so definite and clean, but
there is still that wonder about the human touch on a woodcut
that fascinates me. Kathe Kollwitz is a good example of the human
touch in a woodcut.

I am just jealous that I still cannot do a good Hanga. Grrrrrr!!

Jeanne N.


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From: "Cynthia S. Bendix" <contact-print#juno.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 08:50:17 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20505] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2102 

" But I understood what she was trying to say.  The charm
of a woodcut is when it looks like a woodcut..."

For me it's a case of love what I see (in hanga printmaking) but can't
stand the restrictions of the process (which is of course what makes them
what they are). I love the "happy accidents" that occur in woodblock and
other kinds of printmaking. I look for the unexpected and the surprise of
peeling back the paper from the block to see what I've gotten this time
(when experimenting with layering colors in different orders). I've been
printing with water soluble oils
and many different combinations of abstract blocks and "realistic"
subject matter blocks. In the past three weeks, I've been happy printing
mono print block prints and am excited about the results. Anyway, that
has nothing to do with the hanga prints that everyone is printing. I do
hope to participate in an exchange in the future.
Best to all brave hanga printers!
Thea

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From: Legreenart#cs.com
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 12:23:55 EST
Subject: [Baren 20506] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2102 


If anyone is in San Antonio for the next two months, come by and see our 
exhibition "Contemporary Black Printmakers: Ron Adams, Lenard Brown and 
Charles Criner, opening this Thursday. Also, there will be a symposium 
"Narrative traditions on Afro-American Art" by these artists at San Antonio 
Museum of Art Feb 9, 2-5pm.

Le Green

StoneMetal Press
1420 S. Alamo # 104
San Antonio, TX 78210
USA
www.stonemetal-press.com



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From: "Maria Diener (aka Arango)" <maria#mariarango.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 16:32:14 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20507] John's visit 

Woa, with all the hanga excitement I forgot to report on John Center's visit
to Las Vegas.
I think John enjoyed our balmy weather the best, he is now off into the
sunset on a pilgrimage along the Western states and then North to Canada and
back to his Chicago...eventually.
We made wood chips in my studio and chatted about everything. We took him on
a tour of the Hoover Dam and also down to one of my favorite spots along the
Colorado. Did I mentioned he enjoyed the weather? Sunny and upper sixties in
January. Of course we also had to take him to the obligatory casino Strip
tour and downtown where he gambled a little and learned how we build all the
casinos one quarter at a time.
Anyhow, we had fun and it was great meeting another Baren member.

Maria

<||><||><||><||><||><||>
     Maria Arango
  Las Vegas Nevada USA
  www.1000woodcuts.com
<||><||><||><||><||><||>



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From: "kent kirkpatrick" <kirk_star#hotmail.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 19:40:52 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20508] Re: Baren Digest V22 #2102 

Barbara,

>From: Barbara Mason >Still two colors to go, but I should be
>done today or tomorrow and then drying and shipping. It feels
>good not to be late! >Kent, I don't want to hear one word about
>that red bridge at Multnomah Falls....we call this artistic
>license!

Artistic license you say, I knew there was uh something missin'
in my work. I uh have heard of this but never knew where to uh
git one. As manager of the Barren Mall you might think about
selling these licenses so folks like me could have one too!

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From: "Jean Eger Womack" <jeaneger#jeaneger.com>
Date: Tue, 21 Jan 2003 20:20:00 -0800
Subject: [Baren 20509] Exchange 15 

Kat, I put the Exchange 15 prints in the mail to you today.
Jean Womack

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From: John and Jan Telfer <jtelfer#iinet.net.au>
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 03 16:54:21 +0800
Subject: [Baren 20510] Re: What is Baren? - Puzzle print 

Dear Maria,

I was explaining to a calligraphy friend today about your wonderful idea 
of the Baren Puzzle Print and what was involved and explained that the 
subject for it all was "What is Baren?" and her answer was "A life 
without Kids!!!"  She didn't know what OUR "Baren" was, did she?

Keep smiling!

Jan

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End of Baren Digest V22 #2104
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