Even at first glance, anyone can see that Tugboat Printshop’s Overlook is just a gorgeous print – one you wouldn’t mind hanging on a prominent space in the house or the office. What makes it even more remarkable, though, is the fact that it’s a woodblock print made from five individually-cut wooden plates that, altogether, took thousands of hours to prepare.
A project three years in the making, the print depicts a lush and green natural landscape, with large trees, dense forests, towering mountains, and a beautiful blue midday sky. The whole thing is intricately detailed, with plenty of minute, colorful elements that invite closer inspection.
The Tugboat Printshop Overlook uses five separate wooden plates for printing, each of which are manually carved from 0.75-inch thick birch plywood that measures 44 x 28 inches (h x w). Four of the plates serve as color blocks (yellow, red, light blue, and dark blue) that define areas of color in the print (overlapping color areas create new hues, highlights, and shadows), with the last one serving as a key block, essentially giving the print its final, defining touch. Each of the plates contain varying levels of detail, making for one complex project that, somehow, came together perfectly.  The final print, by the way, is done on handmade Okawara kozo fiber paper that measures 46 x 30 inches.
Only 100 prints of the Tugboat Printshop Overlook will be made for this limited edition run. Price is $1,000.
