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Published On: Jan 27, 2005 08:32 PM
Total entries in this category:
Published On: Jan 27, 2005 08:32 PM
Good thing for us...
I realized that there are a LOT of things to be
grateful for and sometimes there are things that we are grateful for that we
ought not to put in that light...today's recollection is of the time Frank Sher
gave thanks for a pressman with interesting qualifications...
It isn't a big story, and frankly I
don't feel much like writing a big story here. But, I was driving back from a
designer's studio today and remembered an old friend from Sri Lanka. Then I
remembered the tsunami and I wondered if Michelle was ok or if her family had
been hurt in the floods. After so many years, I looked up her number and called
her. She's ok and it was nice to chat about the days when we ruled the world
(she was as much a secretary as I have ever had, but she did much more than just
secretarial stuff for my company and for
me).
In talking with her, she said she was grateful that she and her family had escaped the real horror of this natural disaster and I realized that she was genuinely grateful for her simple luck of where her family was when the waves came ashore. She has a lot to be thankful for, but in the end it was essentially as if nothing happened at all. I mean, to her, nothing happened. Had nothing actually happened, her life would look much the same.
Then, for whatever reason (probably reading my cross complaint in my lovely lawsuit) I got to thinking of a guy I used to work with. He was technically the "director of colour" but most often he was an unruly guy who was seldom given the truth by his son (and company president). I loved Frank on a personal level and he was an interesting and, well, colourful guy to talk to. I hated working with him as he always over-did it. Sometimes it would genuinely bring about a better piece of art, most often it would take you on a wild goose chase. But, that is for another posting.
This particular "Frank Story" was about a time when we had a piece of African American art to go on press. It was an older piece and the colour controls were hardly invented back when it was originally separated. In any case, it was on press for a re-order and Frank reported back at the end of Press that day. It went something like this...
"How was press today?"
"Oh did we ever luck out!"
"Oh, yeah, why? Something fall right into place?"
"No, but those African paintings eventually looked great in spite of being way off base to start."
"Ok, so was it an easy fix?"
"No way. We had to really work at it."
"So, why are you saying we lucked out?"
"Well, we had a black man on press for that job. If we didn't have him there, we'd have had to struggle with someone who didn't really understand the deeper elements to making black people's skin look right. Because he was black, he really knew just how it should look. We should be grateful. They look great against all odds."
So there you go. We got a good African American skin tone because we had a genuine African American turning the dials on the press and plate maker. Somehow, I don't think there is any correlation. Further, since the business of printing is making one reproduction look like the matchprint, I don't see why ANY piece is easier for someone beyond the basic colour composition of ink and paper.
Neverthelss, to Frank (god bless him), we were fortunate. I think it is pretty clear that we weren't fortunate at all. Perhaps we are less fortunate that there are people in the world who could think a man more qualified because of the colour of his skin in any field. Maybe it is more like the tsunami and we were told to be grateful of a non-event. But, perception is reality, right?
So, Frank, wherever you are, you keep being grateful, but forgive me if I think it racist to assume that a white man is a better driver, a jewish man a better banker, or a black man a better basketball player...or pressman.
In talking with her, she said she was grateful that she and her family had escaped the real horror of this natural disaster and I realized that she was genuinely grateful for her simple luck of where her family was when the waves came ashore. She has a lot to be thankful for, but in the end it was essentially as if nothing happened at all. I mean, to her, nothing happened. Had nothing actually happened, her life would look much the same.
Then, for whatever reason (probably reading my cross complaint in my lovely lawsuit) I got to thinking of a guy I used to work with. He was technically the "director of colour" but most often he was an unruly guy who was seldom given the truth by his son (and company president). I loved Frank on a personal level and he was an interesting and, well, colourful guy to talk to. I hated working with him as he always over-did it. Sometimes it would genuinely bring about a better piece of art, most often it would take you on a wild goose chase. But, that is for another posting.
This particular "Frank Story" was about a time when we had a piece of African American art to go on press. It was an older piece and the colour controls were hardly invented back when it was originally separated. In any case, it was on press for a re-order and Frank reported back at the end of Press that day. It went something like this...
"How was press today?"
"Oh did we ever luck out!"
"Oh, yeah, why? Something fall right into place?"
"No, but those African paintings eventually looked great in spite of being way off base to start."
"Ok, so was it an easy fix?"
"No way. We had to really work at it."
"So, why are you saying we lucked out?"
"Well, we had a black man on press for that job. If we didn't have him there, we'd have had to struggle with someone who didn't really understand the deeper elements to making black people's skin look right. Because he was black, he really knew just how it should look. We should be grateful. They look great against all odds."
So there you go. We got a good African American skin tone because we had a genuine African American turning the dials on the press and plate maker. Somehow, I don't think there is any correlation. Further, since the business of printing is making one reproduction look like the matchprint, I don't see why ANY piece is easier for someone beyond the basic colour composition of ink and paper.
Neverthelss, to Frank (god bless him), we were fortunate. I think it is pretty clear that we weren't fortunate at all. Perhaps we are less fortunate that there are people in the world who could think a man more qualified because of the colour of his skin in any field. Maybe it is more like the tsunami and we were told to be grateful of a non-event. But, perception is reality, right?
So, Frank, wherever you are, you keep being grateful, but forgive me if I think it racist to assume that a white man is a better driver, a jewish man a better banker, or a black man a better basketball player...or pressman.
Posted: Thu - January 6, 2005 at 05:52 PM