Name of workshop directors or partners. Are they artists as well as technicians?
Jörge de Sousa Noronha - Point & Marge Editions
Artist and technician, partner of IDL Graphique

Name of person responding to this questionnaire:
Jörge de Sousa Noronha.

Date of founding of the workshop:
Point & Marge Workshop was founded in Bergerac (Dordogne) in 1977.

What is your workshop like?
Since 2002 Point & Marge has entered into collaboration with, IDL Graphique, Paris's oldest lithography printers as a new department within IDL. We have been friends for a long time and it seemed a natural step to take. IDL provides a large space of 300m2 in their historic building, with three mechanized litho presses, and four hand litho presses, where we installed our own place and presses, as an independent department.

What media do you work in?
Lithography on stone exclusively, though IDL does some work on aluminum plates, as well.

Are you public or private?
We are a private company.

How many staff do you have currently?
Eight persons work generally as permanent personal. From time to time, we bring in two or three more persons to help out. This does not count the artists with whom we collaborate.

Do you have other activities besides printmaking, such as classes, exhibits, etc?
Point & Marge organizes regularly special courses, lectures or workshops, both inside and outside the studio (Christie's Education Paris, EAC etc). We also participate in exhibitions and fairs in France and abroad. Another important activity for me personally is writing, which takes up about 40% of my working time. I write technical and historical books, articles, critical texts, and essays.

Are you print publishers, as well? Do you sell prints?
We are print publishers, and we sell prints. We have just brought out a new catalogue.

How did your workshop originate?
Point & Marge studio emerged in 1977 in Bergerac / Dordogne (" L'atelier de lithographie ") and became soon a center for teaching lithography and publishing as well, with my own work, at the beginning, and later with many other artists (summer courses, editions etc.).

If you had to start again, what would you do differently?
Mabe nothing differently. A printmaking studio must always be in " movement." It's an organism in permanent evolution. It's also one's life professional experience which is enriched by exchanges with so many artists.

How has the workshop evolved from the early days? Are you still doing the same things in the same way, or have you changed? In what way?
In 1986, the workshop came to Paris, and the studio was first installed (for one year) inside "Confluences", another structure for artists. After this, it was established in Créteil (near Paris), working and teaching in lithography and in etching (5 persons, all artists).
In 1997, the studio was relocated in Paris (45, Marx Dormoy / Paris XVIII) for another period, with a new but very small space. This "Micro Studio," was oriented to both working and teaching, in lithography only. This was also a very interesting experience, for the possibility of organizing exhibitions there. In 2002 the studio moved again and is now relocated with IDL (52, rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin, 75010 Paris).

Is your workshop unique or different from the others? In what way?
I don't think that it's a unique workshop, except for the fact that it is specialized in working on stone only, usually in conjunction with the Chine collé technique and the JDS process. But, actually, as we know, each studio is different, each place is obviously conditioned by the personality of the director and the specifications of the structure itself and the people who work there.

What is your method of working with artists ?
Until 2000, I used to work with artists for editions, books, etc., and teach lithography as well. Since that date, I don't teach lithograpy techniques in my studio any more. Only occasionaly, I do courses, or lectures outside the studio. For me, work with artists is to respect their different characters, to be open to different styles, to give only technical advice only at the right moment, to be able to create a climate of confidence, and also to have an attitude which is open to collaboration.

What artists have you worked with?
Since the begining, my studio had publications with many artists both from France and from foreign countries: Yvonne Boag, Ron McBurnie, Anne Lord, Basil Hall (Australia), L.P.Bougie (Canada), M.Nisser (Sueden), L.Tayeb, Marie Alloy (France), Xavier, and many others.

Tell us a bit more about the most interesting ones: incidents, anecdotes...
An interesting moment was, for example, when I published a collective artists' book called "Five Hundred Dollarts" with five artists from different countries. Each one of them revisited the bill of 100 dollars. We took a lot of pictures with the bills laid out side by side on a table and we had a lot of fun with all this. We had the impression of being suddenly five very broad artists. More recently another nice experience was the publication of " Le crâne du cyclope " a "lithocine," which is an artist's book by André Chedid (the poem) and Xavier (lithographs) on a graphic layout prepared by me. The object was to print the images on Chinese paper, for the book, and also on a PVC film (stabyphane). The film, hand colored by Xavier, can be seen inside a special black box , and through a tube with a lens. The ensemble was presented in a gallery during Le Mois de L'Estampe à Paris.

How do you feel about the current moment in printmaking? Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Why? What do you think are the major issues the community of printmakers needs to address?
These are very good questions. on the one hand we have a very low market for prints, but on the other, the current "revolution" of printing techniques, should bring good feelings for a new perception and a fresh re-evaluation for printmaking arts. We must absolutely forget the past and look towards the future, as new tools arrive to be added to all the others we have had until now.The revolution is not so much to change everything, but to accept new tendencies.

Nowadays sites like World Printmakers are dedicating more and more space to the new media. It is to be hoped that this divulgation will create renewed public interest in prints and printmaking, in new image forms. It seems to me that, at this point, painters or sculpters or even conceptual artists are not so lucky as printmakers in this respect.
Yes I am optimistic, insofar as artists can be tempted to try the "hand made" techniques in printmaking. By this I mean all techniques, old and new. The world of printmakers is moving very fast, and one must adapt to new ways of working, to go with the movement. Studios should embrace new ideas and new methods. It is not enough today just to inform the public. Printmaking must offer them new products, modern devices and new programes for a fresh and ever-changing future.

Do you have norms for the editions done in your workshop? What are they? What do you consider the numerical limit for a true limited edition? Or does the limit vary according to the different print media?
We have the norms generaly in usage in printmaking. Point & Marge follows the norms in general use in European printmaking. We work in very small editions (sometimes 20-25 prints) both for prints and for artist's books. Twenty to 50 is very good nowadays. Fifty to 100 is still acceptable, more than 100/150, in view of the present market, seems to me to be too much. I mean for original prints, signed and numbered by the artist.

What's the best thing about having a printmaking workshop? And the worst?
For me the best thing is the relationships one makes, and working collaboratively.
The worst would be to have no projects, no plans for the future, just to hang around waiting for artists, publishers or the public.

Regarding the marketplace, who buys limited-edition fine-art prints?
The market is actually very reduced but it's still there. We must reach out to people, and show them what we are doing and why we are doing it. We must always have in mind that the young public today has a very different education, and printmaking is something which we must present attractively so they can discover it.

What do you think might be done to make art buyers more aware of the true limited-edition fine-art print?
Education, education education ... from the primary school upwards. I mean "education" in the sense of opening up the curiosity of young people to everything. Young people are now convinced that computers have "everything inside." But this is a very limited view. We still need to be curious, to go out to find what we really need, and actually to know what exists out there to be discovered.

What is your opinion of the current upsurge of digital fine-art prints?
Digital is certainly as important as photography when it appeared, and a new revolution of graphics is taking place right under our noses.

Can the traditional hand-pulled print "coexist peacefully" with the digital print?
As with photography, I think that this new medium can coexist peacefully with previous ones. A "new familly" is coming into studios. We must open the door and say : Welcome! But we must stay vigilant. To create some thing you allways need to have a creator. Computer art is not a " game " which will permit everybody to do art. As in any other medium, if you are not an artist, your work will be not credible.

We understand that you have recently discussed the terminology of digital printmaking in an article and have come up with some new terms. Could you tell us about it?
I had long discussions with my friend June Wayne about new terms in lithography, giclée, digital prints etc. I have recently begun to use a new term wich I invented for digital printmaking: "digigraphics." This can be used as a general term or as a more particular one as "digigraphs" ("digis"), for example. The term works equally well in French and in English.

What are your principal sources of information about the world of printmaking?
Books, art revues, catalogues, Internet...

Where do you think printmaking will go in the next 10 years?
This is a difficult question. Nevertheless I think printmakers tend to work bigger and bigger every day. But all this depends, of course, on the direction taken by culture and education over the next ten years.

You have written several books about printmaking LA MEMOIRE LITHOGRAPHIQUE, L'ESTAMPE, OBJET RARE...) How did this come about? (And where do you find the time?!) How were the books received by the print loving public?
As I said, books make up an important part in my life. When I began work in lithography I was astonished to find that I couldn't find any recent book on the subject in French. So I began taking notes always with the idea of publishing this necessary book for art lithographers. This became the first book, LITHOGRAPHIE , PRECIS TECHNIQUE. After this came other books such as L'ESTAMPE, DE LE GRAVURE A L'IMPRESSION, and the more recent ones which you mentioned on the top of this questionnaire. Generally all my books had a very good acceptance by the public, and they are appreciated by professionals. Naturally each book corresponds to a period of my life where my time was partially devoted to research and writing. I must say I like this. It's for me like a time to study, to think, to synthetise ideas and working methods.

What is your JDS Lithocolour process? Is it something entirely new, or a refinement of older techniques?
Yes JDS is new and different. Nevertheless, like any other technique, one must adapt it to his or her own work, or choose it because it can be very well adapted to a particular kind of work. It is a specific color process in lithography specially adapted to "Chine collé" and original prints on very thin papers. Essentially it consists in a post-coloration of the printed paper using dry pigments, such as soft pastel in powder, or any ordinary colour pigments. The colours are applied on the reverse side of the print (where the motives are visible due to transparency), using all sort of "poupées" made with very soft papers as tissues, WC papers, etc. After this, the print is "collé" on a back paper with a special glue.

I use for the "collage" an ordinary powdered starch (rice starch),diluted in water to a creamy consistency. Rice starch is the most appropriate for this, as it is generally a component of printing papers, and it is not visible when it dries. The back paper is humidified inthe same way that you do it for an etching, and the starch is carefully applied on this humid paper with a brush, (covering only the area where the print must be placed). After this, the dry piece of printed paper, coloured with the pigments in different colours, is carefully placed over the glued humid paper, (for the back paper I generaly use Rives BFK or Lana papers...), and then passed through the etching press. Note here that the work must be covered by a thin acid- free paper and the normal makeready, before it goes under pressure. With the humidity of the glue and the humidity of the back paper as well, the pigments pass through the China paper and give the final coloration to the print. After this, the print in Chine collé by JDS process must stay in a press to dry for a minimum of three days.

Can you tell us a bit more about the collaboration between Point & Marge and IDL Graphique?
Our collaboration is at different levels: artistical and technical advice or management, exhibitions, workshops organisation, and publications. IDL Graphique is working with artists such as Yve Clerc, Schuiten, Chu Teh Chun Ruiz Pipo, Pincemin, and many others. They also edition many fine old posters, as well. My books are also exhibted for sale there. I am also available to attend visitors with information on about printmaking and printmaking techniques, as well as my own work with the JDS lithocolour process.

Contact:
Jörge de Sousa Noronha : 0142094409 - 0142450334 - 0681247014
Email : de-sousa.jorge@wanadoo.fr