PHOTOS:
JUNE 2003 | OCTOBER 2003 | JANUARY 2004 | FINAL IMAGE

In the beginning there was an email posted to Barenforum.org (the best printmaking organization in the net!)...

"Went for a bike ride this morning, this being relevant only because the ride sent endorphins flying all over my brain. Endorphins, as you may know, are natural opiates which produce a gentle high (although in my case, not so > gentle) and unbound amounts of energy.
SO! I've been thinking about a collaboration project for a while and I think it's about time we do something extraordinarily fun. This shouldn't interfere with our regular schedule of exchanges, since this is a relatively small and easy project spread over a long period of time. Here is my proposed proposal for a potentially pfun project:

OFFSHOOT COLLABORATION PROJECT heretofore referred to as: "WHAT IS BAREN?" A PUZZLE BY ITS MEMBERS (or perhaps simply nicknamed: The Puzzle Project) >
SUMMARY:
Each participant designs and carves a piece of a large block. Coordinator prints. Participants get back prints of the whole block.
COORDINATOR: Maria Arango
THEME:
"What is Baren?" the question posed by one of our members a while back and really makes you think about who we are, what we do and why we do it. The question can be "answered" with complete freedom by participants. Discussion in the forum may bring up some ideas. Moderator will NOT refuse any print on the basis of anything, we're artists for crying out loud.
Don't it sound like fun?"

The details of the project followed. I was pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome that the project received. Even we over-confident and reckless people have sinister doubts (what if you hold a puzzle project and nobody signs up?). Anyhow, the details of the project are online on my website: http://1000woodcuts.com/puzzle/project.html

Undoubtedly there will be another, but for now I would like to simply give credit to all the brave participants and once more thank Barbara Mason for her help in printing. Thank you everyone for playing!

"What is Baren? A Puzzle by its Members"

Started June 2002 - Completed January 2004
Edition: 100 (sets) untitled, unnumbered, unsigned as I did not think a group project should be "marked" by any one member
Block: 2 blocks, Cherry plywood, each 21" x 27.5" (53 x 70 cm)
Ink: Daniel Smith Traditional Black
Paper: Stonehenge Cream 22" x 30" (56 x 76 cm), printed dry
Printed in The Printmaking Studio of Las Vegas, by Barbara Mason and Maria Arango

Prints distributed to 44 participants, each received 2 sets, accounting for 88 sets
An exhibition set sent to Carol Lyons in New York
Additional sets sent to: David Bull (in perpetual gratitude) and Steve Goddard, Spencer Museum in K.U., for archiving
The remaining 9 sets and the block will remain tucked in the Green Monster (set of flat files) in Maria Arango's studio, their destiny is unknown

Artists
See legend for block numbers. Blocks are arranged starting at center-right (around 1:00 o'clock) and progressing clockwise always from the center to the edge, then returning to the center for the next "arm". This arrangement, of course, is on the block! The print is reversed as any good print must be, and proceeds as above, except counter-clockwise starting at center-left (around 11:00 o'clock).

1A - Colleen Corradi - Montesilvano ITALY
This is a musical composition which reflects my current work on violins and other instruments. "What is Baren?" is the Theme - and my answer is: Baren is all of us, and my piece of the puzzle is a recognizable "me" being part of the Baren Group.

1B - Sarah Hauser - New York, New York USA
This creature is called "Bear-Wren", hopefully shedding some light on the question "What is Baren?"
He is quirky but quite friendly.

2A - Julianne Kershaw - Woombye, Queensland AUSTRALIA
Emergence from the darkness of solitary existence into the world of opportunities that is Baren.

2B - Carole Baker - Gustavus, Alaska USA

2C - Ray Hamilton - Lansdowne, Pennsylvania USA

2D - Bea Gold - Hollywood, California USA

3A - Liz Horton - Englewood, New Jersey USA

3B - Maria Arango - Las Vegas, Nevada USA
Baren is the ultimate inspiration. Like the muses, a little mysteriously and definitely dreamily Baren drives its members to achieve and participate and belong, reaching high and doing things they otherwise would have never thought of.

3C - Mike Lyon - Kansas City, Missouri USA
My block is carved in parody of a beautiful Toyokuni II bijin bust portrait, but I have her with a chisel in her mouth, a baren in her hand, and a few pubes protruding from her robe. How does this relate to the theme "What is Baren?"? Uh... woodblock printmaking in the old Japanese way is... uh... sexy?

3D - Louise Cass - Toronto, Ontario CANADA
I figured the butterfly ascending on a flower could symbolize the delicacy sometimes needed for woodcuts (which I don't possess) -however working on the lovely piece of cherry ply brought me a bit closer since I'd been restricting myself to (seasoned)pine -cherry is hard to find in TO or perhaps I've been lazy - but thanks for the experience, Maria.

4A - Sharen Linder - Palatine, Illionis USA
Baren has always seemed a place where printmakers gather at the conclusion of their days, enjoying the companionship of other printmakers, comparing notes and getting to better know one another. I've always thought that it is much like the campfires of old, as we sit together in front of our 'blue screens' and chat across the miles and continents.

4B - Dan Dew - Tampa, Florida USA
Mine was a self portrait of how I see myself in relation to Baren. I weave in and out of the group, which is always going in many directions at once.

4C - Kim Shields - Center Barnstead, New Hampshire USA
Mutual respect. It is what the characters mean. It is what I value most about this group.

4D - Phillip Smith - Hammond, Oregon USA

5A - Georgia Garside - West Covina, California USA

5B - Patsy Giclas - Parker, Colorado USA

5C - Carol Wagner - Sacramento, California USA
A waterfall for Baren because Baren has become a 'watershed' in my current lifestream...

5D - Frank Trueba - Scotts Valley, California USA
To respond to the theme "What is Baren?" I thought of the Japanese concept of "wa." Wa is a concept that combines the tenets of team spirit and harmony, not in a "rah-rah" kind of way but rather that everyone has something to contribute for whole to be successful, that working together produces success, that in fact everyone must contribute to achieve success Robert Whiting wrote a book about the way baseball is played in Japan and its title was "You Gotta Have Wa." in which he contrasts the differing concepts intrinsic to American and Japanese baseball, illustrating how Japanese training includes concepts of zen and team bonding that are quite foreign in America.
To further illustrate the way this concept plays out in the Baren Forum, I have incorporated the stone-carving techniques demonstrated by Michael Schnieder this past June at the Baren Summit. Michael was unable to stay very long but he went out of his way to attend and further show us his unique work and the technique that he uses to produce it.
My puzzle piece is made up of the Japanese characters for "wa" (assuming my sources were correct) while incorporating my first attempt at stone-carving as illustration on how the Baren Forum exhibits wa.

6A - Ruth Leaf - Venice, California USA

6B - George Jarvis - Shimokitate, Akita JAPAN
Muse of Printmaking (??)

6C - Carol Lyons - Irvington, New York USA
Title: Endorphin Attack on a Joy Ride
While riding her bike, Maria got a jolt of endorphin and the inspiration for the Baren Puzzle Project resulted.
The idea is taking off with her, a happy carving accident," a chip off the block"

7A - Sharri LaPierre - Vancouver, Washington USA
The idea behind my carving was that Baren is a World of Printmakers. The baren is a map of the world (in reverse - where was my brain?) with a band of people encircling it. It is a planet unto itself. Aren't we the lucky ducks?

7B - Lezle Williams - Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

7C - Charles Morgan - Victoria, British Columbia CANADA
The idea is very simple: the light bulb is banishing the darkness. The Japanese characters in the bulb are the characters for "knowledge". The characters in the dark corner are those for "ignorance". One of Baren's primary benefits to its members is its educational function.

7D - Wanda Robertson - Molalla, Oregon USA
Baren helps me to see. I see what a wonderful community we have built on the web and in real life. Real artists, real friends, real people that we can count on in our own real life.

8A - Mary Kuster - Lexington, Kentucky USA
This represents the brush and paper used in Japanese printmaking and the motion of the baren over the paper.

8B - James Mundie - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
In my little bomerang of cherry I was hoping to reference the dual aspects of the Baren Forum: using modern technology (e-mail and the Internet) to discuss one of the oldest technologies (woodblock printmaking), and the 'talking' as well as the 'doing'. This bijin emerges from a partially carved block of wood and is further communicated/modified through binary code.

8C - Barbara Patera - Issaquah, Washington USA
To me, the Baren and the exchanges are all about seeing.... seeing, recording, and sharing our very different world views.

8D - Gayle Wohlken - Burton, Ohio USA
The shape of the piece made me think of a sailboat, so I used that idea to make the Baren boat which we're all sailing on.

8E - Barbara Mason - Aloha, Oregon USA

9A - Monica Bright - Nampa, Idaho USA
This puzzle piece shows a visual pun at how I think we at Baren are all connected. Each of us are busy people, yet we are all connected via a web.
Although our web is virtual, instead of physical, it is no less real to us all.

9B - Jan Telfer - Perth, Western Australia AUSTRALIA
"From Isolation to Participation"
I live in isolation to most of my Baren friends and contemporary woodblock printmakers, but because of this group and this website I am able to join in print exchanges, news and expert advice on the newsletter and have met and stayed with wonderful people from around the world...for this I thank you all.

My design was inspired by a Christmas card from Japan using the globe with the countries around the edge. The Baren in the middle links me with all countries world wide.

Thank you Baren members. Jan

9C - Julio Rodriguez - Skokie, Illinois USA
Image is of a toddler sitting on a giant baren and playing with wood blocks. In the background is planet earth. Pretty self explanatory, the blocks spell the word 'B-A-R-E-N' and also the number '5' for our 5th anniversary together. The toddler represents 'barenforum.org' itself and us the members. I chose a toddler to represent us as I feel that our group is still in the formative years and we have the whole world of printmaking to explore.
The double meaning of the wood blocks also represent the members coming together to form Barenforum.org while maintaining their own individuality as printmakers. Many thanks to Maria Arango for such a delightful and creative project.

9D - Darrell Madis - Dallas, Texas USA

9E - J.D. Roehrig - Capitan, New Mexico USA
The hand the Force, the Baren the tool to transfer the image, and the inspiration the Group.
Thank you Maria and Barbara, too.

10A - E.B. Atwood - Topsham, Maine USA
My Baren tree........grounded in the
world.........bearing wonderful fruit.

10B - Kat Pukas - Tucson, Arizona USA
I equate the circular path of the computer mouse on the mousepad, with the circular path of the baren on the back of paper. The wire coming off the baren-mouse connects me to the world.

10C - Sylvia Taylor - Freeville, New York USA

10D - Jack Reisland - Aiea, Hawaii USA
What is Baren? A wonderful meeting of old and new, East and West, traditional craft and technology.

10E - Gilda Machado-Zimmerling - West Hills, California USA
The question was asked what is Baren to you. The answer is a little corny. It is my little window to the world of print making. I am a stay at home Mom and this allows me to interact with artist around the world with out leaving my home.
Thanks Baren

11A - Shireen Holman - Montgomery Village, Maryland USA
Baren is a place where artists from all over the world come together to exchange both ideas and prints, through email and snail mail.

11B - John Center - Chicago, Illinois USA

11C - Nancy Osadchuk - Calgary, Alberta CANADA
The choice of a flower seemed natural for two reasons. Florals are one of my favorite subjects.The flower’s veins can represent the many directions and variations occurring in printmaking in general. And as it blooms and sets seeds, it continues to grow as does Baren.

11D - Gillyin Gatto - Machias, Maine USA
self portrait with
gouge , brayer , cat
and dog--
my constant companions.
the baren is us.