Fascinating Woodcut Landscape

This amazing woodcarving by Paul Roden and Valerie Lueth took them two years to complete. Having done some leather tooling in my younger days, leather being a softer media then wood, I certainly appreciate the level of meticulous attention and skill required to produce this piece of intricate artistry. Overlook, a strikingly elaborate woodcut, is the name of this beautiful, almost dimensional scenic microcosmic representation of a habitat saturated with pine-speckled mountains, undulating hills with pastured fields and plantations, and afforested by a rich variety of tree species.

To create Overlook, the artists first drew the design in low relief on blocks of ¾” birch plywood, then using small knives and chisels to carve into the surface of the 28″ x 46″ block. After the key detail is finished, they will carve an additional 3 to 4 color blocks. Once carved, blocks are rolled up with ink and printed onto archival paper to create the finished artworks. Their prints are all published with top-shelf oil-based inks onto fine papers in limited edition runs. The final product will be a vibrant work of art with staggering detail, breadth, and colours.

Paul and Lueth co-manage Tugboat Printshop, based in Pittsburgh. It’s their hope that their woodcuts will provide pleasure while also inspiring new ways of thinking about our world.