LAST "OVERLOOK" BLUE!

Carving that last "OVERLOOK" woodcut blue! Whew!

EARLYBIRD COLOR "OVERLOOK"

The 1st color print of "OVERLOOK" will debut Friday, August 21, 2015! The print is starting to come to life in color, but still lots to do! We're working now to color balance & align all 5 woodblocks.

Above, our test proof with early proof amendments marked for change. We anticipate a dramatic transition from this early tester to the 1st color print.(Overall, too much brown here!) 

The "OVERLOOK" woodcut print is 46" x 30" with a 1" paper border. Production of the limited edition will follow the release of the 1st color proof. Pre-ordering info here! 

FINE-TUNING "OVERLOOK" COLOR

We're going back through all of the "OVERLOOK" color blocks in preparation for first color proofing! We'll print a handful of copies during the proofing process, slowly fine-tuning color on each of the 5 blocks and carving the last block details, before we arrive at a finished 1st color proof. The 1st color proof will be a guide for how we mix & print during production. The full edition size of "OVERLOOK" will be 100 limited edition prints.We are planning to unveil the 1st color proof on Friday, August 21st, 2015 in the T.B.P.S. newsletter. Join up by entering your e-mail at www.tugboatprintshop.com and be the first to see & hear the latest details about the big "OVERLOOK" woodcut landscape!

PRINTING "DAISY BOUQUET"

The "DAISY BOUQUET" woodcut, a new 20" x 16" print in our shop!  Published from 2 blocks on Natural Kitakata Paper. Drawn, carved, and printed by the artists. Edition of 100 prints.

THE NEW "LOG" IN COLOR!

Introducing the new "LOG" woodcut in vivid, wild, glowing color! Printing is going so smooth & the print itself is looking so dreamy. Delightful!

4 woodblocks make "LOG", each an impressed layer of woodgrain color. (See all of the blocks here.)
Printed on 16" x 20" Natural Kitakata Paper. Edition of 100. 

In joy, we're extending the earlybird intro rate until Monday (4/26)! Last chance for "LOG" special!

YELLOW BLOCK FOR "LOG"

The final piece of the "LOG" woodcut puzzle--the yellow block! 4 blocks together make the final artwork. More about that & all the blocks (and first proof!) here.

BLUE FOR LOG - CARVED!

This block will create  blues, greens, browns & purples. Each block prints one color, layers of ink building with every impression. "LOG" will be a colorful & lush woodcut world in miniature! 

THE "OVERLOOK" WOODCUT

Introducing the "OVERLOOK" woodcut! We're nearly finished with the key block drawing (we've been working on & off for 2 years on this drawing!) and finally feel that the moment is right to start talking about this new work in progress.In "OVERLOOK", a dense forest huddles tight, with groves expanding outwards, upwards, growing ever further away. The trees move with the motion of a wind, or not; some are rigid & straight, some rustling & reaching. At the middle of the print, the treeline dips down and spreads up and out into a great stretch of rolling fields and forests. Groves suggestively march across the earth, nomadic, in packs made cloudlike by the abstraction of distance. In the fields, we see mankind's organized presence. At the top of the block, which will be capped with some glorious sky in the color blocks, is a distant wrinkle of mountains. Triangles of pine forests and the rounded domes of leafy trees pepper the hillsides. Layer upon layer of undulating pattern builds intensity in the "OVERLOOK" image. The suggestion of infiniteness will be further expanded by the print's ability to meet itself seemlessly at the edges like an eternal 'wallpaper'. An ever stretching vista! We will probably exhibit the finished piece first as a diptych. But it can be singular, or a triptych, or an entire walls worth of loping, abundant wilderness.We have just released the print for pre-order HERE.  We think it will be a real cornerstone in the Tugboat Printshop collection.Did we mention it will be in color? More soon!

"VALLEY" CARVING (CATCH-UP!)

It's been challenging to find time to write about what we're working on lately (sorry, blog!). Lots on our fall schedule & lots going on in the studio! 

Shown above is the "VALLEY" woodcut in progress. We're now in the process of editioning this print! Shown above are the 4 color blocks, in progress. For the first time, we used paint to create wide brushstokes of color on each block to layer & build a rainbow of sky. We carved following the strokes and then added additional dashes to emphasize the cup of the valley. This edition is next to print…see the first proof color HERE! 

COLOR BLOCKS FOR COMMUNITY

Penning in rainbow color as we imagine up a world lush with greenery, brick, stone & log for the new "COMMUNITY" woodcut. The blocks above are being carved in low relief and will then be rolled up and inked for printing to paper. These are not the final colors of the print, these are color separations that guide our block making. The black detail block will be the last to print, atop all of the layers of printed color, to complete the print.

"COMMUNITY" will be 16" x 20" on Ivory Somerset Paper. Printed with a 1" white border around the print. Currently up for grabs at a special pre-order rate!

And on Friday, May 30th, from 4:00-7pm we're hosting a special Happy Hour Open Studios here at the printshop to celebrate the completion of the "COMMUNITY" woodcut edition! This print is currently in production, but pre-orders will be ready for local pick-up during open hours & with a festive atmosphere to boot. RSVP stopping by & please freely share the date!

BLOCKS FOR "TREE SWING"

The fun little "TREE SWING" print will be joining our online woodcut shop this week! Join up to our mailing list for more release details as the end of the week nears and printing wraps up!

"DESERT ISLAND" COLOR CARVING

The first color block for the "DESERT ISLAND" woodcut is carved! Top shot up there is Paul's celebratory woodscrap weaving. Shots below that are as carving was beginning. This block will be rolled up with some pastel sea & sky colors to print behind the key block (below) and one other color block. Final size will be 20" tall x 35" wide. Hoping to have it all wrapped up by the time we have a show for the BRAVE NEW WORLD woodcuts at THE ARM in Brooklyn on November 7th. Opening's at 7pm, so mark your calendars & come if you can NYC!

Lots of work to do before then, so we'd better get back to it! Also, a reminder that the pre-order will be out real soon so get your orders in if you want a little earlybird deal. More real, real soon!

"FROND"

"FROND" 
9" x 11" Color Woodcut Print on Natural Japanese Kitakata Paper
Paul Roden + Valerie Lueth, 2013.
EDITION OF 100 PRINTS. 

About the size of an actual leaf, "FROND" rainbows from dark to deep berry red. Feathery veins burst from the central stem in pleasant little poofs!

NOW AVAILABLE HERE!

RED! BLUE! WAHOO!

Printing the red block and the blue block on the "FARM BARGE" print…a rainbow of blue to make the sea & sky! Just the key block left to print. 


Still available at the pre-order intro rate on our website for a limited time!

FOREST COLOR BLOCKS!

BLACK BLOCK ON BONFIRE

We've finished editioning our latest big collaborative color woodcut "BONFIRE!" Prints are drying and pre-production orders should be ready to ship out from Pittsburgh by the end of the week. Yay!

Visit our website to order your copy today! Free U.S. Shipping!

Barracuda + Hammerhead Swarm + Magic Carpet

"Magic Carpet"
THE DEEP BLUE SEA Series
17" x 23" Color Woodcut on Pale Pink Arturo Paper.
Paul Roden + Valerie Lueth, 2008.


"Hammerhead Swarm"
THE DEEP BLUE SEA Series
13" x 17" Color Woodcut on Pale Pink Arturo Paper.
Paul Roden + Valerie Lueth, 2008.


"Barracuda"
THE DEEP BLUE SEA Series
12" x 18" Color Woodcut on Pale Pink Arturo Paper.
Paul Roden + Valerie Lueth, 2008.

Limited edition of 50...now in our online shop!