Austin, TX

Hi everyone! My name is Dana Bergstrom, the artist behind DryHeat.Press!

I am a relief printmaker based in Austin, Texas, but I am originally from a desert town in Southern California. Being from an extremely dry climate, the humidity of Texas took some getting used to, but occasionally a dry heat will blow through and would remind me of my hometown and childhood. Thus, the name “Dry Heat Press”! To this day, whenever I head back to Southern California; it can be 105 degrees and I will still say it’s beautiful outside because “it’s a dry heat”.

I draw my inspiration from the world around me, memories and mental associations to subjects. But, overall, I am desert, cowboy, cactus, bird, animal, rodeo… honestly, anything American Southwest obsessed! It reminds me of my childhood and my hometown.

I have been printmaking since 2012, after first learning in a required college course. I absolutely fell in love with the patience it required, the peace it brought me, the trial and error of printing, and the rest is history! I graduated from Whittier College (California) in 2015, earning both 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.

View Artist Website

Images of Work

Techniques

Linocut Relief Printmaking

Favorite Products

I learned the very basics of printmaking using almost exclusively Speedball tools, inks, brayers and barens and since then I haven't made a piece without using at least one Speedball product. In my opinion, Printmaking and Speedball go hand in hand. First and foremost, I LOVE my trusty Speedball Linoleum Cutter, particularly size No.1. I have without a doubt used it on every block I've ever carved and will continue to do so. Next up is the Speedball [Professional Relief Ink] Supergraphic Black Relief Ink and its buttery texture that really locks onto a block's fine details. And finally, the Speedball rubber brayers and barens consistently help produce clean, crisp prints.