John Altringham

First test print of a 10x10cm wood engraving in progress - part of the ruined 12C monastery of Rievaulx, N. Yorkshire. There is still work to be done.

Many hours in I realised I had forgotten to reverse the drawing. The print is therefore the mirror image of reality. This is the first time I have made this mistake and hopefully the last. I can reverse a digital reproduction, but anyone who gets an original print will have to live with an alternative reality.

Mar 23 at 4:48pmWeb
Show threadSebastian Lasse4d ago
@JohnAltringham
What if you print with white/ivory/lighter colors on black?
Show threadJohn Altringham4d ago
@sl007 Do you mean just for fun or to correct the mistake? The error produces a mirror image, not a 'negative', so it would not fix it. I do think about printing light on black but I have yet to try.
Show threadToke4d ago
@JohnAltringham Very impressive!
Show threadDaniel Hoffmann 🌼4d ago

@JohnAltringham It's an interesting question whether anyone not familiar with this monastery would have noticed that it is mirrored? There are no obvious clues like letters.

Very strange: when I saw the wood block I was immediately transported into Umberto Ecos "The name of the rose". There is probably a place in my brain where I store things related to medieval monasteries ... Your engraving tells, in a gripping way, a story of a societal fossil, vestigial order persisting in a world that has descended into chaos. Something bad has happened, and we want to know that story.

Show threadJohn Altringham4d ago
@Daniel_Hoffmann I think many who are familiar with it would not notice - but if it was a commission I'd have to start again!
Beautifully preserved ruins in beautiful locations, quiet and calm. In contrast to their rise, reign and eventual fall. Histories packed with all the human virtues and vices.