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CartHow'd you get that name?
The name comes from the term "bread and butter," because this is my main source of income, but I used the word "badger" because I was inspired by an article in National Geographic about honey badgers. Honey badgers are fearless creatures that will not back down from a fight, and are impervious to venom. They can kill animals many times their size and they eat bees and poisonous snakes. Quiting my job and starting my own business has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, and I am inspired by those tough little creatures that can take on so much that other animals fear.
Who are you?
Amanda Siska used to sell shoes full-time, before starting her own business. She discovered glass etching and fell in love with the artform. Bread and Badger is her opportunity to make a living by creating art that she loves full-time. Her inspirations include body art, classic motifs from around the world, fashion, and iconic pop art and culture.
In her spare time, Amanda enjoys knitting, reading, cooking, webcomics, and learning things on the internet. She grew up in Massachusetts, and currently resides in Portland, Oregon with her husband and their two cats.
Sean Siska is Amanda's husband, and the production and planning backbone of Bread and Badger. He uses the big machines and does the tedious jobs like masking most of theglasses.
When he's not working, Sean can usually be found maintaining his planted aquariums, cooking amazing meals or reading geeky internet fori.
How do you do that?
We have two etching techniques that we use: sandblasting, and hand-engraving with diamond burrs. Check out our Flickr photos of the sandblasting process here, and a tutorial of the engraving process here. Everything is still etched by hand in our little studio, by Sean and Amanda.
Pretty much everything is sandblasted now, with the exception of some custom orders and one-of-a-kind pieces.
Materials
Some glass pieces may have insignificant imperfections. We try our best to only use those items with the least amount of blemishes, but some are unavoidable, especially with reclaimed glassware.
ARTIST’S STATEMENT
There’s nothing like the feeling of getting exactly what I see inside my head onto a solid object for others to share. I’ve spent my life finding new ways to make my ideas tangible, and I’m pleased to have discovered glass art. I taught myself glass engraving when the idea hit me, and I’ve been scratching surfaces ever since.
Beginning with a rough sketch, I like to draw my artwork with India ink and a calligraphy pen. Once the ink has dried, it’s scanned into my computer, where I turn it into vector artwork that can easily be resized. The digital art is then printed onto transparency film, which is used to create a sandblasting stencil. A photo-emulsion process is used to create each stencil, which is similar to creating a screen for silk-screening. Each glass item then has a stencil applied to its surface with a squeegee and burnisher, then it’s carefully masked. The final etching step is a trip into the blasting cabinet, where high-pressure grit carves the permanent design
I’ve been particularly drawn to the power that iconic imagery has on the psyche, and the way people react to it. Strong symbols evoke strong feelings in the viewer, whether they’re worn on a t-shirt, a body part, or across your household objects. Etched glass is a perfect medium to take the concept of self-expression to another level. Beyond just being sculptural art, it’s like a tattoo for your home.
Glass lasts forever, and each object has a history. As a human being, I’ve been very conscious of the excesses produced by everyday life. As an artist, I’ve tried to keep my carbon footprint small by reclaiming glassware. Although glass production isn’t a toxic process, it still helps reduce waste to upcycle unwanted glassware into beautiful pieces of art.
