T.B.P.S. | Tugboat Printshop
Tugboat Printshop / T.B.P.S. (Pittsburgh) is an internationally recognized artist press specializing in finely-crafted, original woodcut prints. Tugboat was established & began publishing its 1st print editions in Pennsylvania in 2006.
The woodcuts produced at T.B.P.S. are traditionally hand-crafted, quality artworks on paper. Prints are published directly from hand-drawn & hand-carved woodblock(s) to archival papers using top-shelf, oil-based inks.
All woodblocks are hand-inked & cranked through an etching press one at a time. Each print in the edition is clearly numbered, titled, and signed by the artist when complete. Typical edition size of a T.B.P.S. woodcut is 100; maximum 200. Prints are produced in batches manageable to the artist. Consistency & uniformity are highly valued in the production of the limited edition and only the best copies produced are included. Subtle variations between prints are inevitable, considering the hand-inked nature of every woodblock & the nature of the wood itself. Each print created is in some way a unique original.
To view available editions & new woodcuts-in-progress visit the SHOP!
To join the T.B.P.S. Newsletter (new releases & events!) scroll down to bottom-of-page!
Your support is appreciated—thanks for visiting!
SHOP WOODCUTS | SEND A MESSAGE
Valerie Lueth (Artist/Printmaker/Owner) runs operations & draws/carves/produces the woodcuts at T.B.P.S. A dedicated & multi-faceted artist/operator for 18 years and counting, Valerie’s grassroots approach to making & sharing is hands-on and upbeat. A reverence for technique and steadfast patience for puzzling out the challenges of the woodblock medium pairs with her experimental and playful, yet exactingly fine-tuned approach to guiding her whimsical drawings into woodcut multiples.
Valerie Lueth | Bio
Valerie Lueth was raised on the South Dakota prairie, self-motivated to draw, build, tinker & explore—very active in the arts from her earliest years. Art & drama performances, set building, darkroom photography, photojournalism, impromptu installations, costume fabrication, constant sketching—a compulsion to create fueled Valerie into adulthood.
In 1998, Valerie moved to Vermillion, SD, as a student and became involved with the University of South Dakota Printmaking Department. Over the following 6 years, she assisted & attended countless printmaking workshops at Frogman’s Press & Workshop (an intensive printmaking workshop in operation since the 70’s), attended conferences, participated in folio exchanges, assisted visiting artist projects, immersed in her studio practice, and began to exhibit her artworks with success.
After receiving her BFA in Printmaking in 2004, Valerie moved to Nashville, TN, working remotely as a full time video game concept artist & game texturer, while continuing to produce & exhibit prints and drawings as a working artist.
In 2006, Valerie moved to Pittsburgh and co-founded Tugboat Printshop with Paul Roden. Valerie has been actively producing woodcut prints ever since—in collaboration with fellow printmakers and independently. Valerie took the helm as sole operator of Tugboat Printshop in 2016 and continues to create her unique brand of intricate woodblock prints into the present.
Valerie’s artworks have been exhibited, featured and collected widely by patrons, cultural institutions, and museums in the U.S. and abroad. Her drawings & prints have been featured in the Library of Congress, New American Paintings, Illustrator’s Unlimited, People of Print, PUSHPrint, Low Tech Print, Mohawk Maker Quarterly, Uppercase Magazine, American Craft Magazine, This is Colossal, It’s Nice That, Boing Boing, Patagonia, Anthropologie, Reyn Spooner, Martha Stewart Crafts Dept., Belio Magazine, Yen Magazine & more!
Valerie has instructed woodcut workshops at the Women’s Studio Workshop, Society for Contemporary Craft, Montgomery College and Temple University/Tyler School of Art and regularly makes visits to colleges and universities as a visiting artist, sharing artwork, process & the story of Tugboat Printshop.