BY SHALEEN DESTEFANO
I am a self-proclaimed nostalgia fanatic. Whether it’s the theme song to Cheers, a recipe of my grandmother’s, a beloved tv show playing in the background, my Halley’s Comet t-shirt from 1986, I crave literally anything that allows me to pause from present day stresses and transports me to another time. I seek out this level of bliss often, and it was on one of these quests that I stumbled upon the paintings of Amanda Snyder of Paper Plates Press. Inspired by old Polaroids, you can almost smell the combination of chlorine and Coppertone “sunscreen.” We were lucky to connect with Amanda to learn more about her process and art.
Drawn to the nostalgic summer vibes of your paintings, we would love to know more about your background and how you began your journey as an artist.
I was born and raised in Southern Louisiana, right outside of New Orleans. I attended the Art and Design School at Louisiana State University where I studied fine arts and graphic design. After school I moved to Denver, Colorado and started a small letterpress design shop, Paper Plates Press, with my husband. The past few years, I’ve been mainly focusing on my paintings. In 2019, I released a series of paintings entitled The Summer of 1970 Road Trip (LA-CA) that were inspired by a collection of vintage family Polaroids.
In the summer of 1970, my grandparents packed up the family station wagon and headed west on I-10 out of New Orleans. The destination was Southern California to visit my grandmother’s sister. It was the American road trip. Newly-built rest stops with scenic views. Motels with pools polka-dotted with colorful patio umbrellas. National landmarks and natural wonders. And all this vivid imagery was captured on a collection of vintage family Polaroids I discovered many years later. I knew I had to paint these instant, yet faded memories. I loved the compositions, the colors, the stray finger covering the corner of the frame. They were perfectly, imperfect, each one a thoughtful moment that my grandparents wanted to hold onto. It was a time when you couldn’t take a million pictures only to forget them seconds later.
Who were your early influencers?
It was inspiring to grow up in New Orleans with a rich history of music and art. My parents are both very creative and have a passion for art and travel. They always supported and encouraged me to grow as an artist. I have early childhood memories of visiting museums and art galleries. Growing up I admired the work of New Orleans artist Michalopoulos. His paintings are big and bold. I’ve always been drawn to his shotgun house portraits, and how he captures the energy of New Orleans in his paintings.
You have a distinct style. What are your guiding principles when choosing your subject?
I paint what brings me happiness or a moment I want to connect with more emotionally. I look for compositions that frame brief instances in a way that hopefully makes the viewer relate to a similar place in their lives. There’s a sense of nostalgia that makes you want to return to that time and place and experience it for yourself.
Can you offer a glimpse into what the painting process looks like for you? Are you listening to music in a well-lit studio, or do you work at night?
I’m currently working in my home studio, full of natural light! I like to paint in the mornings, before the day gets too busy. I have a six-year-old, so I make sure to squeeze in all of my work time while he’s at school and the house is quiet. I also love listening to music and podcasts while I’m painting.
After finding your fine art, we realized you also hand letterpress. How did you get involved in this craft?
I started my career focusing on graphic design work, but really missed the process of making art with my hands. In 2009, I convinced my husband, Dillon, who also works in a creative field, to buy a vintage letterpress with me and together we started Paper Plates Press-a small batch letterpress design studio. We didn’t know how to use one or even where to get one at the time. Funny enough we found our first one just 10 blocks from our house in the Sunnyside neighborhood. The next step was learning how to use it. Thankfully again the local printing community (as is most printing communities) is very welcoming and helpful. So, we dove in and figured it out. Definitely some late nights in a small alley garage warming an ink disc with the heat of a candle to make it happen, but it was worth taking the leap.
Where can we find your work?
You can find links to all of our work on paperplatespress.com, and I’m always posting on Instagram (@paperplatespress). If you ever see something on our site or on social media, please reach out and we’re happy to provide more details about it.
Do you have any advice to offer budding artists?
Never stop. With art, or really any part of life, there are ups and downs. Try not to get discouraged or give up on what you want to share with this world. When we started our letterpress card collections, we said that if a card brings joy, laughter, or smile to only one person in the world, then it was worth printing. Know your art is reaching someone in a positive way and that is what matters in the end.
From an inspirational standpoint, never stand still. Try new things. Sounds obvious but it can be hard at times as we all find comfort in the familiar. But go to a different part of town for the day. Walk into that shop you’ve passed a million times and wondered what it’s all about. Talk to strangers. Yes, the very first thing we’re taught not to do has been holding us back all these years. But for the record, I don’t think children should talk to strangers.
The Denver art scene is thriving and from an outside perspective appears to be comprised of a very warm and welcoming group of people. Who do you find inspiration from locally, or beyond?
I’m always inspired by creatives experimenting and pushing their craft, trying new things. Whether it’s a painter, a new hotel, or a chef. Right now, I’ve been in love with the creativity coming out of Black Box Bakery. Yes, those perfectly formed croissants. The strawberry one, with its whimsical red spiral makes the whole experience next level. You can see, taste, and feel that passion that goes into their work. It hits all the senses which, as artists, is important and sometimes hard to achieve.
Outside of Denver, I’ve been really into the interior design of smaller hotels. Like, the St. Vincent in New Orleans. It was originally an orphanage down in the Garden District. The owners took a lot of inspiration from the history and what they found in the building, and worked it into the design of the space. One of the details that jumped out to me was the marbled wallpaper in the rooms. It’s a vibrant pattern that was pulled from the original founder’s diary. On the surface it just looks like fun wallpaper but if you look deeper, you discover it has more meaning.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Definitely lots more paintings! I’m hoping to release a new collection later in the year.
We’ve paused creating greeting cards in recent years, but I know we’ll get back into that as well when the time is right.
Amanda, thank you for letting us in on your journey as an artist. We are thankful to have found your art and look forward to seeing more from you in the future! If you’d like to see more from Amanda’s collection, visit paperplatespress.com.