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PROGRAM NOTES


FOUR STONES FOR KANEMITSU WAS FILMED FOR TAMARIND IN THE PERSONAL STUDIO OF ARTIST JUNE WAYNE, IN LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, THE FILM DOCUMENTS THE DRAWING AND HAND-PRINTING OF A FOUR-COLOR, FOUR-STONE LITHOGRAPH BY MATSUMI KANEMITSU. THE ARTIST AND HIS TWO MASTER PRINTERS ARE FOLLOWED BY THE CAMERAS DURING THE ACTUAL CREATIVE SITUATION WHICH IS ONLY RARELY VIEWABLE BY LAY PERSONS OR EVEN BY ART COLLECTORS OR SCHOLARS. KANEMITSU'S ESTHETIC AND SUBJECTIVE PROBLEMS DURING THE MAKING OF HIS WORK OF ART ARE SHOWN TO THE AUDIENCE: ALSO THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF HIS MASTER PRINTERS MUST MEET TO FULFILL THE ARTIST'S VISION.

KANEMITSU IS AN ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST PAINTER OF THE "NEW YORK SCHOOL" STYLE. HE IS ALSO A MASTER OF SUMI INK DRAWING AS WELL THE ART OF WASH DRAWING IN LITHOGRAPHY. JUNE WAYNE CHOSE TO DOCUMENT THIS KIND OF LITHOGRAPH BECAUSE RELATIVELY FEW ARTISTS USE WASH TECHNIQUES THESE DAYS EVEN THOUGH IT IS THE GREAT CLASSIC METHOD OF LITHOGRAPHY. "FOUR STONES FOR KANEMITSU" THUS IS INTENDED TO PRESERVE A RECORD OF WASH TECHNIQUES FOR POSTERITY AS WELL AS TO AMUSE AND INFORM THE GENERAL PUBLIC AS TO WHAT GOES INTO THE CREATION OF THE ART LITHOGRAPH.

SERGE LOZINGOT, A FRENCHMAN, IS ONE OF THE FOREMOST MASTER PRINTERS WORKING IN THE WORLD TODAY, FOR MANY EARS, LOZINGOT WAS THE PERSONAL ARTISAN OF JEAN DUBUFFET. IN 1967, MR. LOZINGOT EMIGRATED TO THE UNITED STATES IN ORDER TO WORK FOR MS. WAYNE AT TAMARIND. HE WAS ON TAMRIND'S STAFF WHEN THIS FILM WAS PHOTOGRAPHED.

GENE STURNMAN, THE SECOND PRINTER, GOT HIS MFA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO AND THEN HE CAME TO TAMARIND, LOS ANGELES, TO TRAIN FOR CERTIFICATION AS A TAMARIND MASTER PRINTER. MR. STURMAN WHO RESIDES IN THE LOSE ANGELES AREA, TEACHES THE ART OF LITHOGRAPHY AT UCLA.