Creative woodcut. Exclusive handmade prints from the art studio Tugboat Printshop

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Art Studio Tugboat printshop from Pittsburgh is known for the fact that amazing creative works are born within its walls, created by such an unpopular method today as wood engraving. Woodcut (an imprint on paper from a wooden printing plate) has long been engaged with enthusiasm by the authors of the art studio, artists Paul roden and Valerie lueth … Moreover, they engrave each wooden form by hand, and what is special about this is not hard to guess, even if you glance at the illustrations. Artists are very responsible in their work. Indeed, in their case, this is not only a necessity, but also the main component of an art project, since each of them consists of hundreds of the smallest details, curls, depressions and bulges, the finest joints and isthmuses that form the main pattern. It is just right to remember Cinderella, who sorted out lentils, but her occupation was much easier compared to what engravers do every day. To carry out such a jewelry job, you will need pharmaceutical accuracy, attentiveness and endurance, patience and perseverance, as well as excellent eyesight and a steady hand.

Today, the art duo is working on their largest, most ambitious and most complex work, which is called The moon … It is a "portrait" of the moon, made up of countless small details, each piece being part of a creatively designed lunar landscape. Tugboat Printshop did not forget to engrave lunar seas, oceans and craters, to mark valleys and mountains, and they did it in such a way that the celestial body looks like a truly alien object, so distant, but so beautiful. It is difficult to imagine how long it took the artists to bring this idea to life, as well as how many hours have already been spent on its implementation, and how much work remains to be done in the future. The authors plan to finish the first phase of their largest engraving by January next year. It will end up with a grayscale print, a 91 x 82 cm print.

Spouses Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth have been working with woodcuts since 2006. During this time, they created and printed many original, colorful, bright prints, without changing the characteristic style, which consists in incredible detailing of drawings and careful study of plots and images. You can see a gallery of these amazing works on the Tugboat Printshop website.