This photogravure captures the strange, layered feeling of arriving at St. Jean-Pied-de-Port — the traditional starting point of the Camino Francés — where finishing the journey to get there and beginning the journey that actually matters happen in the very same moment. A lone figure--me, but it could be anyone--stands beneath the town's carved stone archway, dwarfed by the tall arched window and the sign overhead spelling out the name of the town in iron letters, caught in that pause before the real walking begins. There's satisfaction in simply having made it this far, but something more uncertain in the stance too — a stillness that isn't quite readiness, not yet. That mix of feelings is the real subject here: the relief of arrival braided together with the quiet apprehension of what's still ahead, hundreds of kilometers of unknown road stretching out past this doorway. The photogravure's soft, aged tones and architectural framing give the scene a sense of threshold, as if the archway itself marks the line between one kind of journey and another. It's a portrait less of a place than of a particular, honest moment — proud, a little nervous, and standing right on the edge of beginning. For this hand-pulled photogravure etching, we press ink into fine art paper from a plate we create from the original image. Print is made with Gamblin Bone Black ink on Hahnemühle Copperplate paper. These limited-edition prints are signed and numbered on the lower front. Image and paper sizes are approximate. Variations within the edition are possible and expected. Image 14 x 17 cm on 20 cm × 28 cm paper.
