Baren Digest Saturday, 26 July 2003 Volume 24 : Number 2318 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Myron Turner Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 08:49:07 -0500 Subject: [Baren 22345] Re: Exhibition in W Australia - Printmaking in Switzerland since 1960 Jan wrote of her disappointment with the print exhibition at Curtin University. To begin with, I was curious about the artists who were making the woodblocks, so I checked out the names on Google. While I couldn't find any examples of his woodblocks, it turns out the Franz Eggenschwiler was one of the most important Swiss artists of his generation, as well respected as the more internationally known Dieter-Roth. I was, however, able to find examples of work by Francine Simonin, who teaches in Quebec, and by Renato Oggier. Personally, I thought their work was interesting. The Oggier print is at: http://www.room535.org/misc/Oggier.jpg The Simonin print is at: http://www.room535.org/misc/simonin-print.jpg In addition to Simonin's print, I've also posted two works by her, one a sumi-like ink drawing and the other a painting: http://www.room535.org/misc/simonin-ptg.jpg http://www.room535.org/misc/simonin-brush.jpg What's interesting to me is that Simonin's print is a reflection of her painting. One of the unfortunate aspects of a show dedicated to printmaking is that often it removes an artist's prints from the context of the larger body of the artist's work, within which it is more fully understood. Something similar occurs in many print competitions. You send in (usually) three slides and your money. On the basis of that fragment information the juror has to make a judgment. In some international print competitions, they ask whether you've ever been in any other international competitions and whether you've every won prize. I suppose that helps make the the jury's task simpler--sort of like being seeded in tennis. But again that hasn't very much to do with the artist's work, much less with the aesthetic context from which it takes its life. Myron At 06:19 AM 23/07/2003, you wrote: >Currently on at Curtin University Perth, Western Australia, at the John >Curtin Gallery is an Exhibtion "Why Make Prints - Printmaking in >Switzerland since 1960" > >51 Selected artists of Printmaking including Woodblocks, Lino Relief, >Lithographs, Copperplate engraving, Etching and Screenprinting. > >These works were selected as an international travelling exhibition, but I >found them disappointing and not very inspirational and lacking intense >technical skill...sorry ...but I am not very "partial" to naivity and >simplification...it may be "modern"....but in that case it must mean " not >having time to spend time on any individual print!" > >Woodblocks consisted of approx. 77 cm x 55 cm or 30" x 20" (+ or -) pieces >of roughly cut wood, brushed with a wire brush to enhance the grain and >then printed and One print had an unprinted knot hole area. >A third was a roughly cut simplified portrait, sectioned and printed like >an uneven picket fence from the original which was carved/ huned >from a square fence post.... I wasn't very impressed! Artists were Markus >Baldegger, Franz Eggenschwiler, Francine Simonin, Josef Felix Muller and >Renato Oggier. > >Jan >Perth, Western Australia ------------------------------ From: "Bill H. Ritchie, Jr." Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 08:04:32 -0700 Subject: [Baren 22346] Re: Baren Digest V24 #2316 Mary, I like your posts, too. I'm curious about what you mean about "we carry artists" - maybe I'm the only one on the list that doesn't have a complete picture of Mary--you're also an art gallery, then? I missed something. Philosophy is important. Mine got skewed over the years working in the printmaking world. An outsider prodded me into thinking that my printmaking passion had led to a mindset about the world that made self-examination difficult or impossible. So you might say I "deconstructed" printmaking, and that's when I faced the possibility that a different psychology moves printmakers than, say, painters. I cobbled together that vision of the cave people (artists? priestesses? who knows?) doing things two different ways. I tried to imagine what effect the "tool use" and "matrix use" would have, especially if the hand, that amazing digital device, was a signature of our existance in time and space. I'm responding to: >I've never thought of the hand being a matrix in itself, rather a tool, an extention of the artist......Handprints are definately a different way of making an image. They are of course considered printmaking, but could they also be considered painting at this primitive stage? Maybe the key is in the idea of "making an image." Maybe we don't really make images, they make us. - - Bill Professional Career Site: www.seanet.com/~ritchie First Emeralda Portal Site: www.artsport.com Snail Mail: 500 Aloha #105, Seattle 98109 e-mail: ritchie#seanet.com ------------------------------ From: "Maria Arango" Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 09:30:01 -0700 Subject: [Baren 22347] changing your art I do have to disagree with one comment, the premise that selling your art to a certain audience sort of automatically "changes your art," with a negative result. I think this is an essential misconception of why we make art. IMHO all artists make art for a certain audience; that audience being an exclusive set of "people" collecting prints, curators of competitions and exhibitions, art critics, academic peers, the general public who feeds the artist, or even a group of printmakers exchanging prints. Following that line of thought, if we were holed up in a cave and had no audience to show our art to, we probably would still make art and certainly the art might and would be _different_ than the art we make to sell or the art we make to exchange with our fellow printmakers. But better or worse? I don't think we can say that. If we are making honest art, then the artist is inside every piece, whether destined for an illustration in the local paper, kept in a drawer forever more, or made to exchange in a themed exchange. I ultimately think we all make prints because we enjoy (love, are addicted to) the process, first. That some are selling prints and some are not and some are exchanging prints and some are not and some are exhibiting prints and some are not...those are secondary to the reason, the real reason, we make prints. Finding outlets for those prints is a bonus, as Barbara said, and I believe the world is better served by printmaking distributing prints to as many folk out there as possible. But somehow selling prints is always viewed as a negative thing, especially selling to the general public, and artists continually have to defend the position that selling art is okay. I find that sad. I love what I do, I make a good living at it, the formula is simple: make prints, distribute prints. Maria <||><||><||><||><||><||><||><||> Maria Arango maria#mariarango.com Las Vegas Nevada USA http://www.1000woodcuts.com <||><||><||><||><||><||><||><||> ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII#aol.com Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 16:09:20 EDT Subject: [Baren 22348] formschnider Why do we do these things we call prints? I do them mostly because I am obsessive wood carver. Maybe I spend 90% of the time carving and 10% printing. Should I call my self a formschnider or printmaker? When I do print I do the following edition prints for exchanges, uneditioned unlimited posters and inflammatory propaganda and the last unique printed works bound into artist books. So what am I formschnider (blockcutter), artist, agaprop(waving the old red, white and blue) or a book artist or all of the above. What I don't do is make my living at it. I used to do the art fair but that drove me nuts I started to hate my art and did not do it for 8 years. Maria more power to those who can do it. I would rather make a living from a day job than try to sell my art as living. It was if I was selling myself felt like I was in the oldest profession. Maybe that would be an idea for a pillow book? hehe john (furrypress) center def. not a deconstructionist ------------------------------ From: Aqua4tis#aol.com Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 16:17:52 EDT Subject: [Baren 22349] Re: formschnider FurryPressII#aol.com writes: > So what am I formschnider (blockcutter), artist, agaprop(waving the old > red, white and blue) or a book artist or all of the above. > john you are an artist period. :-) georga ------------------------------ From: "marilynn smih" Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 13:28:29 -0700 Subject: [Baren 22350] Re: Baren Digest V24 #2317 Interesting it is nice to make multiples of an image, prints. Why than the monotype? I love it because when I paint on a surface and than put it on another surface it changes and I am never quite sure until the print is run exactly what I will have. So when I do a block print or a collograph or a dry point, again I am never certain what will happen until I pull that piece of paper from that plate. So am I printing to do multiples or printing because I am fascinated with the process. I am doing both because I love the idea that when I sell or exchange a print I can keep one in my drawer just for me, I do not have to totally give over the whole thing like I do when I sell an original watercolor. As for creating work for the masses that will sell, I have heard that one from the husband for years. You would make more money if you made what will sell. Than my question is but what will sell and how do I find that out?? I learned to be me and create from my heart and soul and not worry about selling. My goal is to have what I create enjoyed and appreciated by as many people as possible. I have found that how we view ourselves in the world is big for other people when they consider buying art. If I value myself than they value me. If I price too low I am not valuing me, but if I price too high than people can not own what I make. It is a true balancing act. I used to love giving away small pieces of my art and than I learned that people do not value me or the art as much as they do when they buy it. So now i give away computer printed cards for special occasions and people see what I do and often say they want to own one. I have learned that in marketing me I have to believe in me and I have to follow my heart in all I create. These discussions are truly wonderful I would like to see sites of the artists that folks want to discuss so we can click on and look and refer back to the list to make comments. Durer, does someone have a good site?? I am familiar with the work but certainly not recently and not all of it?? Marilynn in Nahcotta Wa. small town america where we do not have big art museums ------------------------------ From: Julio.Rodriguez#walgreens.com Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 17:50:19 -0500 Subject: [Baren 22351] Re: reproductions.... Speaking of pricing "reproductions", check out this artist's site...specially the link to "What is a gliclee"....he goes into detail into the process and purchasing options...nice work, nice models.... http://www.jonathonart.com/tran.html also this link about digital prints.. http://www.jonathonart.com/snow.html http://www.jonathonart.com/digital.html http://www.jonathonart.com/csen.html thanks........Julio Rodriguez (Skokie, Illinois) ------------------------------ From: FurryPressII#aol.com Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 19:29:07 EDT Subject: [Baren 22352] Re: reproductions.... friends don't let friends do gliclee ------------------------------ From: MccarthyDb#aol.com Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 19:30:19 EDT Subject: [Baren 22353] Re: reproductions.... Julio- you are a goldmine- many thanks for all the informative links. i don't want to dismiss giclee prints out of hand but simply pass on that printmaker friends of mine who have been selling them are beginning to admit their disappointment in the quality of the ink over time- the inks are proving to be too fugitive for comfort and they are concerned with the viability of the prints down the road- not an outright condemnation, just food for thought-Bobette ------------------------------ From: James G Mundie Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 19:59:28 -0400 Subject: [Baren 22354] James Mundie's new and improved website Y'all, Please excuse this intrusion for a bit of shameless self-promotion, but as many of you have expressed interest in or patronized my "Prodigies" series of drawings over the years, I am happy to announce that after many months of work which have left my eyes all squinty and dry, I have just unveiled a brand new version of my website at http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/images/index.htm. Please note that this is a slightly different address from the one you may already have bookmarked. This updated and improved version of the site features a fabulous new design by fellow artist Ashleigh Talbot of http://www.madametalbot.com (whose work for Zamora the Torture King and The Jim Rose Circus you may recognize), as well as several new drawings by yours truly, cleaner and clearer scans of the older works, and hugely expanded content -- including new additions to the 'recommended reading' section and a new feature devoted exclusively to items from my growing collection of sideshow ephemera. I will periodically update the site with new items, so there's sure to be something interesting to see every time you visit. This new site is quite image heavy and may take some time to load when viewed over slower dial-up connections (but hey, I'm a visual artist, so quit your whining). However, I think you'll all agree that the material - -- and Madame Talbot's excellent design -- is worth the wait. But what does this have to do with woodblock printmaking, you say? There is a newish woodcut included in the new design, but I'm not going to tell you where. A gold star to the first person who finds it! So, without further ado, I invite you to step right this way, and click on http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/images/index.htm. This Congress of Oddities awaits your intimate and learned inspection... Best regards, James Mundie ------------------------------ From: "Gilda Zimmerling" Date: Fri, 25 Jul 2003 21:48:2 -0700 Subject: [Baren 22355] exchange 18 >Well everyone I was waiting to officially begin exchange 18 on August 1st. But it seems that Philip Smith beat me to it.I arrived home yesterday to find the first set of prints sitting on my doorstep. Well done Philip. Now if only your coordinator could finish her calendar prints so that she to could move on to the wee little prints. Gilda ------------------------------ From: "Jeanne N. Chase" Date: Sat, 26 Jul 2003 03:00:06 -0400 Subject: [Baren 22356] Re: James Mundie's new and improved website James Mundie You have gone completely overboard in your awesome web page. Fascinating = and educational.=20 Congratulations on your creative web master. Never have I seen such a = wonderfully crafted page!!! A must for anyone interested in Art and People to see; http://www.missioncreep.com/mundie/images/index.htm Jeanne N. ------------------------------ End of Baren Digest V24 #2318 *****************************