YONDER PRINTS

Amanda Turpen Duguid of Yonder Prints

Shop: www.yonderprints.etsy.com

Tell us about yourself.
I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, and then left for 9 years for college. I went to the University of Tennessee for my BFA and the University of Montana for my MFA, both in Printmaking. After graduate school, my husband and I got married and moved to San Francisco with our 8 year old yellow lab mix, Riley. I worked at an office for 2 years trying to get up the courage to take some big risks….about a month ago, I took the plunge. I’ve been working at home, developing my art and the Etsy website, enjoying every minute of it.

What do you make?
I make relief woodcuts and linocuts, and sometimes I mix some silk screening or digital in with that. I love lots of color and humor in my art.

What inspires you & what is your creative process?
I am inspired by printmaking because of the gift aspect of it—I can always spare a print for a friend, or a trade and I love the community that it creates. As far as my imagery goes, I look to the imagery that is constantly being absorbed by all of us, everyday, without even thinking about it. I try to pick out the things that I find most poignant about the advertising, media, and culture and make a print about it. The animals in my prints represent different types of people, different types of reactions that people have to our culture.

Where is your studio and how has it evolved? What is your plan for it in the future?
Right now, my studio is in the dining room, or I should say the dining room is no longer a dining room; I have conquered it with my stuff. In grad school, I had my own studio and access to a full print shop, but now I use the computer more for designing and hand burnish prints instead of using a press. I actually love being at home all day, so I’m making it work here. My goal is to buy a used etching press or letterpress by the end of the year and have a place to put it!

What tools & equipment do you use?
I get to play with all kinds of neat carving tools, woods, linoleum, paper (oh! paper!), inks that smell wonderful, Japanese woodblock printing barens, and my new friend, photoshop. Printmaking tools have been made the same way for so long, they are like these wonderfully constructed little treasures that feel like antiques, rarely is anything made of plastic.

What else do you do? Is this your full time gig?
This is now what I do full time. I also walk my very sweet yellow lab a couple times a day, and I try to cook something now as often as I can. Cooking is my way of winding down at the end of the day, and it is so nice to have the time to soak my own beans, grow all the herbs I need, or figure out how to make something I tasted at a restaurant.

What do you hope to get out of this, what are your goals?
I hope to be able to do this for good, and eventually be able to work from anywhere. I’ve finally figured out that doing what you love is more important than money, even security, and now I’m not going to let go. In the short term, my goal is to expand my repertoire to t-shirts, cards, and tote bags and get a booth at the Renegade Craft Faire. My big goal for the next two years is to make this into profitable company. Eventually, I’d like a brick and mortar print shop with a storefront that sells locally made prints and fun handmade items….and it could also be a beer bar that allows dogs….I think we can fit all that in?

How do you promote yourself?
Right now it is grass roots. I am listing something new on Etsy almost every day, if not, I’m renewing items. I’m also telling every single person I know, run into, or sort of know on facebook about my art, and talking to people I don’t know all the time online and in shops that I think would like my work here in San Francisco. Something I’ve found to be a great way to find people who are interested in my work is to trade art with all my artist friends—it ends up on their wall, someone sees it, and then they seek you out.

Any tips for fellow crafters/artists?
It is hard to see how you can actually make it work until you take the first step (for me it was deciding I didn’t want a day job). The scariest part was saying that this is what I want to do, and I am willing to eat beans and rice everyday for it. I’m looking at everything from a completely different perspective now; it doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all, I feel lucky to have this thing that I love to do.


Disclaimer: I have to admit that Amanda is a very good friend of mine and that is partially why I am featuring her, but mostly because I think her stuff rocks!