PDX Profile: Amanda Siska, of Bread and Badger

I first saw Amanda Siska's etched glass in The Sampler and was intrigued. Then, earlier this year when she moved to Portland, I was excited to have a chance to interview her. The fact that she does all her etching freehand with a dental drill amazes me.

Be sure to visit the Bread and Badger website to see more!

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How did you get started etching on glass, and how did you come to build a business around it?
I've always known I wanted to be an artist, and that I wanted to work for myself. I'd worked regular jobs to pay the bills, but I realized that I just didn't have time to be creative with the amount of energy I had left over after work. Since I knew I wanted to start my own business, I took the plunge and quit my job selling shoes to start selling beaded jewelry. I was lucky enough to have a cushion of money saved up, and a husband who is very supporting of my endeavors.

The jewelry thing was fun, but it wasn't really something I was passionate about. I was always looking for ways that I could draw for a living instead, since that's really more of my thing. One day, it just hit me that I could use our Dremel tool to carve onto glass. It was a way to embellish every-day items, and I could finally draw for a living! The first few etched products I really put into production were pendants and magnets made out of large, flat-backed marbles that I started selling at my jewelry parties. It just kind of blew up from there.

My dad introduced me to the dental drill, which is a huge step up from a Dremel. It allowed me to create much finer detail in my designs, and I knew I could focus a business just around the glasswork. I dropped the jewelry-making pretty much overnight (which still confuses my friends and relatives!) but I haven't looked back since!

I'm always amazed that you etch your work freehand! Will you tell us a bit about your process for making, say, one of your pint glasses?
It starts with the glass, and a marker. Sometimes I sketch out designs in a notebook before I go to the glass itself, but if I know what I want to draw, I just start right in with the marker. Drawing the designs is more complicated than just coming up with a good picture though--it has to fit properly on the shape of the glass (vertically oriented for a pint glass) and since it's only positive and negative space, I have to balance that out too. I want the design to be bold enough that you'll see it when drinking water out of the glass.

After I have a design that I like inked onto the glass, I etch the outline with a thin burr in my drill and then wash off the extra ink lines. I fill in solid areas with a thicker burr, and then I go over all the details and smooth out the lines with a thinner one again. The process is actually a lot like tattooing, which I dabbled in when I was a younger. Sometimes I'll use a magnifying visor to really get fine details, but with pint glasses I like to keep it simple.

After I'm satisfied with the design, I date and initial the glass and then give it a good wash with soap and water so there's no glass dust residue. Because of the harmful dust that's produced by engraving, I have to work over a fan and filter set-up so I'm not breathing anything in. With the loud fan and the high-pitched buzzing from the drill, I put earplugs in and then listen to audio books through headphones while I work. I love audio books!

What kinds of things inspire your designs?
Originally, I wanted to keep all my designs looking like traditional American and Japanese tattoos. I've since branched out to include robots, cute critters, and whatever else I would want to see in my own home. I like my designs to represent my own personal tastes, so I'll sometimes etch a glass with something just because I'm into it at the moment.

I spend an enormous amount of time on the internet reading blogs, looking at new products on Etsy and generally keeping tabs on what's popular. This is the downside to working at home! Sometimes it's hard to pull myself away. I read magazines and I like to window shop to get inspiration. I have stacks of sketchbooks at home, and I keep one with me at all times to jot down my ideas. I never know when I'll see the perfect thing that just HAS to be on a vase.

What would you say is the difference between "Art" and "Craft?"
This is a tough one to answer. The differences are nuanced, and there's obviously a lot of crossover here. Here's an example I just came up with that kind of describes what I'm thinking of:

Let's say someone is given a set of supplies, and they make something out of them. If their creation is something that someone else could reproduce (with or without instruction), then I think it's a craft. If you turn popsicle sticks into a box, I think it's safe to say that someone else could probably make one like it. But if you turn your popsicle sticks into a life-sized cat with wings, then you've just created a piece of art.

I have a few designs that I recreate for multiple products, and I don't really count them as "art". They kind of blur the line, since each one is still a little different from the last. The big etched vase that took 6 hours to complete and I know I'll never copy that design -- that's what I consider to be art.

What are some of your favorite creative spots in Portland (so far)?
I'm loving the yarn stores here! I love to knit, but I haven't found my favorite store or a good place to hang out yet. I loved Mabel's Cafe, which became Tandem Coffeehouse, which seems to be turning into something new now. It's right near my house, so I hope to be able to get a cup of coffee there again soon!

One of the first places I found was my local library, which is always an inspiration. I can spend hours in libraries reading magazines our just browsing random subjects. It's a nice walk down to the library, and there are some great views overlooking the city along my route. I've been taking lots of pictures, and letting the landscape inspire me. I'm so in love with everything Portland right now, everything feels creative to me!