We make Portland awesome: Bread and Badger

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Amanda of Bread and Badger

Who are you?
I'm Amanda Siska, the owner and artist behind Bread and Badger. My husband, Sean, works with me full-time in our home studio too.

What do you make?
We sandblast my original drawings onto glass and ceramic cups. I create all the art and maintain our online sites, while Sean does most of the production work.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I'm also the mom of a very energetic and hilarious toddler. Before he was born, I spent my free time knitting and playing video games, and I still find time for drinking beer and playing pool occasionally.

What inspires you?
I like to use bold art that reminds me of my childhood -- the wonder and imagination and obsession that we all have as kids. Kids just get so into things that they completely surround themselves with their favorite imagery. We can do this as adults too, without going totally overboard. What single thing defines you right at this moment? What are you really excited about? I like to think that we're making products that people can relate to on a really personal level and say, "this is who I am" when they use them.

Where can your work be found?
Besides Etsy and our website, we also sell our cups in person at Crafty Wonderland and Urban Craft Uprising (in Portland and Seattle, respectively). A full list of retailers that carry our work can be found here: breadandbadger.com/pages/where

In Portland, you can find our work at these awesome shops:

Antler Gallery – 1722 NE Alberta St, Portland
Bikeasaurus – 1725 SE Hawthorne, Portland
Branch + Birdie – 8021 SE Stark, Portland
Crafty Wonderland – 802 SW 10th Ave., Portland
Etcetera – 8621 N. Lombard, Portland
Land/Buy Olympia – 3925 North Mississippi Ave Portland
Made in Oregon – various locations
Pacific North Fresh – 23 NW 5th Ave, Portland
Redux – 811 E Burnside St. Suite #110, Portland
Tender Loving Empire – 412 SW 10th Ave., Portland
Twisted Yarn Shop – 2310 NE Broadway, Portland
ZimZim – 2805 SE Ankeny, Portland

What do you love about Portland?
My husband and I moved here from Boston 4 1/2 years ago because we love the weather (seriously!) and the people. Everyone's so chatty here! It's a nice change from all the aggression and competition that people on the east coast hang onto.

One of the best parts about running an online business is the ability to live anywhere we want, and it's such a bonus to have found a place that's so supportive of local artists and small businesses. I don't think we'll ever leave!