#mike upton

WORKSHOP SHOUT OUT | MIKE UPTON | VANS US OPEN

We’re checking out some of the various street market booths and workshops at the Vans US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Upton Home creator, Mike Upton not only offered his prints on both canvas and paper at his street market booth, but also hosted a linoleum printmaking workshop at Van Doren Village. We chatted with Mike about his printmaking, his Upton booth, and the workshop he recently hosted.

Photographs by Celina Kenyon

Who are you and what do you do?
I’m an artist, designer, and business owner. I try to create artwork and products for the home that will inspire people and bring them joy.

How would you describe yourself and your art?
I usually describe myself as a designer. I like to think of art as the way I approach all things in life and my designs as the product of that mindset. It’s all intuitive and connected.

Tell us about Upton Home and the kind of unique art items you offer folks?
I started Upton as a way to make high-quality artwork more accessible for people – I believe everyone should live with beauty every day. I currently make prints on both canvas and paper, as well as metal sculptures. I’m also starting to prototype some furniture and ceramic items for the future.

Can you tell us a little about your art background? What was your first experience with art and how did you get into printmaking?
I’ve been making art for as long as I can remember. One of my earliest memories is sitting at my kitchen table as a kid drawing an epic pirate cave full of treasure and skeletons.

I was also lucky enough to have had a screenprinting class at my high school. The first time did it, I became enamored with print making and have never looked back.

After high school I studied apparel design/manufacturing, and then was the first designer hired at a clothing company called Brixton and worked there for 10 years.

What’s your creative process like? What kind of things inspire you?
When I’m creating it’s very intuitive. I’ll make dozens of loose drawings without much thought, and then come back to them later to edit and refine them.

I’m constantly inspired by the world around me. I collect ideas and photos I see in books, at museums, and on the internet. I also get inspired by cooking, architecture, music, and anything with a driving creative force behind it.

Describe the Upton booth in three words?
Mexico surf shack.

Besides your booth at the Van Doren Village, you also led a linoleum bock printing workshop .  Take us through the workshop and what folks were doing?
I’m super excited to be hosting a linoleum block printing workshop. People were able to come and learn how to design and carve their own linoleum blocks, and then make paper prints with them on the press.

What do you love in general about the printmaking process?
I love the evolution of design that occurs during the printing process. As the design goes from the first drawing, to the printing medium, to the paper, the original image develops and take on its own character.

What do you like about the linoleum process versus other methods of printmaking?
It’s fast! You can go from a concept to a finished print quickly, which gives you more freedom to experiment.

What are your essential art tools to work with when making art?
There are no essentials but I’ve been liking a brush and India ink.

Do you have a favorite Vans silhouette?
The Authentic and the Chukka boot.

What’s the best advice you’d give someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?
Start now! There’s never going to be a perfect time to do the things you desire. I quit my steady job to start Upton when my wife was pregnant and we were building a house. And it doesn’t matter if you feel like you don’t have the resources or the time or you’re not “legit.” Find a way to do what you love now with what you have available. Then keep doing it. You might experience failures along the way, but take it as a lesson learned and keep going.

Besides art, what are some of your other hobbies?
I speak 8 languages and am a double black belt in karate. Just kidding. I’m boring and like to work on art, make food and travel whenever possible.

Do you have some favorite artists at the moment?
Ernst Kirchner prints and David Milne paintings.

Finally what do you have coming up for the rest of summer?
Dinner at the beach.