Today we’d like to introduce you to Dana Bergstrom.
Hi Dana, I’m so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, how can you bring our readers up to speed on your story? How did you get to where you are today?
My name is Dana Bergstrom, and I am the artist behind Dry Heat Press. I am a relief printmaker based in Austin, TX, but originally from a desert town in Southern California. Being from a dry climate, the humidity of Texas took some getting used to, but occasionally, a dry heat would blow through and remind me of my hometown. Thus, the name “Dry Heat Press.” “Dry Heat” refers to my hometown’s desert climate, and “Press” is a common name print studios tend to dawn. I draw inspiration from the world around me, memories, and mental associations to the subjects. I gravitate toward the desert and desert wildlife, mainly cacti and birds. It reminds me of my childhood and my hometown. My parent’s house is still decorated in the same southwestern theme, so I always have memories and ideas when I visit!
I have been printmaking since 2012 after first learning a required college course. I fell in love with the medium and pursued it in my formal education afterward. I graduated from Whittier College (California) in 2015, earning a bachelor’s degree in Studio Arts with a concentration in Printmaking and a Bachelor’s Degree in Business with a minor in Strategic Management. After falling in love with Austin’s artistic and “weird” culture in 2016, I decided to move here. 2018, I made that goal a reality and have since made Austin my permanent home. Living here, I have met so many inspiring artists and creators. The artistic community of Austin and the surrounding areas is unparalleled, and I look forward to continuing to grow and learn here.
My artistic endeavors picked up pace during 2020 after being sent to work from home and realizing I had so much time to create and share my work if I was not battling traffic twice daily. So instead, I spent my “commuter time” in the morning and evening, when I would usually be driving, creating instead! I began sharing my work more consistently on social media, specifically Instagram (@DryHeat.Press), and gained quite a bit of traction. Initially, I had no intention of selling my work; I only used social media as a driving factor to keep me accountable for creating and sharing my progress. However, after multiple people asked, “Where can I buy this?” I decided to “officially” open for business. I created a simple website and worked through the ups and downs of being an artist. I am a one-woman, small business, and still working in my corporate position. While there has always been and always will be a lot to juggle, I have enjoyed and learned something new every step! Over the years, I transitioned to a completely remote position with my same employer and have maintained my schedule of creating during “commuter time,” working through admin and orders on my lunch break, and still having time on the weekends for friends and family, which allows me to maintain a healthy corporate-creative-work-life balance.
Would it have been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My road has been relatively smooth, though I can’t tell if that is just because I tend not to look at negatives or if it has been smooth. I am the type of person who usually knows what I want and goes and does it. Whatever bumps come up along the way are to be dealt with and are just part of the learning process. I wanted to be an artist, so I became one. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams and live the life you have imagined” – Henry David Thoreau
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a traditional relief printmaker who is a lesser-known but just as old a medium. When I introduce myself as an artist, most jump to drawing, painting, or digital art; very few jump to sculpture, ceramics, or woodworking, and fewer have even heard of printmaking, let alone know what it is even though this medium (like many other mediums) can be seen in everyday life.
Printmaking, in its most basic definition, is the artistic process of transferring images from a matrix onto another surface, often paper or fabric. Under the printmaking umbrella, there are four categories: relief, intaglio, planographic, and stencil. Although I have been traditionally trained in all four techniques, I focus solely on relief printmaking. In this case, a design can be drawn onto a substrate; then, it is carved around the protruding design to be printed so that only the design appears. I mainly carve linoleum (aka linocut) or wood (aka woodcut) in my work, but softer materials such as rubber or vinyl can also be used.
My favorite aspect of my work is detail and linework. Focusing on detail and how something will translate into carving, then, after, into printing, is like a puzzle for me. Because I work mainly in black and white, I always try to make the eyes dance with the details in my work. How can I only translate a particular shadow, texture, or pattern in black and white? Incorporating as much detail in my pieces and printing those details successfully will always be my “white whale.” That’s why I will never tire of this medium; there will always be an opportunity to improve details and portray them differently.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
Austin is a highly creative place, home to numerous artists, creators, and musicians. That can also be said about many cities around the US and the world. However, the community sets Austin apart from other noteworthy artistic towns. It is more than just local artists supporting other local artists within their same field, which can sometimes become an exclusive echo chamber, making it difficult for newcomers to relate. Instead, in Austin, I’ve noticed an outpouring of love and support from the entire city, creating an overarching value of art. Everyone’s art, music, and other creative endeavors have their place here.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.dryheat.press
- Instagram: instagram.com/dryheat.press
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmjqB_eGjWmLsefQaWm8uLw
- Other: linktr.ee/DryHeat.Press
Image Credits
Erin Fulenwider
