Meet Devan Penniman | Printmaker and Creative Problem Solver

We had the good fortune of connecting with Devan Penniman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Devan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I am a fairly anxious person, constantly imagining worst case scenarios and somehow it has worked out that reality feels less scary. Taking risks even something small has led me to where I am now, but there are three that really made a different.

The first risk was in 2012 when I decided to join Americorp for the summer, where I took down trees with a chainsaw even though I had zero manual labor skills. This risk led to me moving to Colorado, eventually graduating with a BFA and finding a love of letterpress.

The second was in 2017 when I decided to hike 1000 miles on the PCT, two months, living outside, walking, eating and facing my fears. This led to me doing a Tedx talk, starting my own business and furthering my confidence in what I am capable of.

The third was quitting my job and pursuing art full time. It led to me living a life of art, teaching at the local university and becoming more assured in who I am and what I love to do.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am a printmaker with a concentration in block printing and letterpress. I discovered letterpress in 2014 in college and I haven’t looked back since. Letterpress involves setting type and printing on presses from the 1800s to 1900s, I have also restored some old presses and am in the process of restoring some wood type. I picked up block printing in 2020 as a way to fill some of the panic in my brain. I carve into rubber and linoleum to print on paper, shirts and tea towels and is the main creative outlet for my business, Stegosaurus Press. I pull influence from the desert around me, the birds, plants and landscape that surround Fruita.

The name Stegosaurus Press comes from the printing presses who can weigh thousands of pounds and look and move like old dinosaurs. The second reason is my geocache name, Steggy Morrison… Additionally it doesn’t hurt that the state dinosaur of Colorado in the Stegosaurus, and dinosaurs are just plain cool. I love creating and sharing my love of creating with the people around me. I mean the act of taking something that doesn’t exist and bringing it into existing is pure magic.

I am always trying new things, sometimes cycling through and never touching that again but there is something about printmaking and letterpress that has stuck and I love any opportunity to share the amazingness of the printing press, setting type and how sexy paper can be. There is nothing like watching type press into a thick piece of cotton paper, while using a process that has been used in the western world since the 1400s.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would start our day grabbing a coffee at Bestslope and then driving to either to the base of the Bookcliffs or up to Glade Park. Once we arrived we would hop on our bikes and start exploring random gravel roads, stopping to look at rocks, birds and clouds. Lunch would be fruit, cheese and salami from Skips and then we would head down to the Colorado River to either float from Fruita to Loma or sit with our feet in the river along the bank. Dinner would be pizza at the Hot Tomato.

I would take them to the Palisade Farmer’s Market on Sunday followed by the Base Camp Maker’s Market to load up on fresh veggies and art from local vendors.

We would definitely do lots of hiking in McInnis, Paleo, Devils and Flume are my favorite place to explore. Endless trails and the flowers in spring are amazing! When I first moved to the desert I regretted it until I realized how much life survives and thrives out here, and nothing beats a tall canyon wall and smelling like sweat and sunshine.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would not of been able to do get this far without the community around me. My friends have played such an important role and their support has meant everything to me. Another huge shoutout to my partner who showed my kindness and trust and how to care for oneself so that you have the energy to care for others. And lastly the art community on the Western Slope, I have met the coolest creatives who support each other, share, and assist in each others growth.

Website: https://stegosauruspress.com

Instagram: @stegosaurus.press

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devanpenniman/