A Wood Engraving Pilgrimage

By Joanne Price

In December 2008, I started planning a trip to visit English wood engravers Simon Brett, Chris Daunt, Anne Desmet, Andy English, Peter Lawrence and Sarah van Niekerk. The trip represented a pilgrimage, a journey to study the historical and contemporary practice of wood engraving. I wanted to see and learn the printmaking traditions in Great Britain to provide me with a better understanding of the roots of wood engraving and how that tradition fits in the contemporary art world. I was interested in each artist’s inspirations, influences, working methods, tools and techniques. I visited England, my first European experience, for 2.5 weeks in May 2010.

I am immensely grateful to my amazing hosts who guided me through their landscape and their life – I am deeply indebted to them for their kindness and generosity.

Here I present my journal chronicling my experiences. I will continue to add notes and edit as I absorb the experiences.

May 2, 2010

After more than a year of planning, I arrived at Heathrow International Airport in London at 12:25. The hour drive to my cousin Ned’s residence in Hackney, Essex allowed me to adjust to the new architecture and landscape around London. My first night in England was in a couple of pubs. There was some concern that I could not handle a pint of English beer, so I accommodated their concern and slowly sipped my ale for nearly an hour.

May 3

The next morning our group struggled through a hang over and drove to Leigh, near Southend on the Thames estuary. We walked down to the historic fishing village on the River Thames which is now mostly shops, restaurants and pubs. The Thames was at low tide and it was a bizarre site to me – the river had stranded all these boats in the sand dunes. Growing up on Lake Erie I had never experienced dramatic tidal forces of oceanic proportions.

Thames estuary at low tide. Notice the small boat is named Freya.