Meet Amanda Cox

Today we’d like to introduce you to Amanda Cox.

Hi Amanda, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Painting and drawing has been a part of my life as long as I can remember. Although I grew up in a more blue-collar family with lots of teachers, policemen, firemen, construction workers and contractors, etc., my paternal grandpa was a full-time working artist and was able to provide a home and simple and good life for his wife and four kids in the San Fernando Valley off of his work as an artist – working for local newspapers and companies and selling his own work back in the 1950’s and 60’s. His influence definitely sparked my enjoyment and appreciation for drawing and painting from the beginning.

Creating artwork brought me joy and fulfillment throughout my life and through high school. And when I went to Cal State Channel Islands, a local and affordable college near where I grew up in Ventura County, I received my Bachelor’s in drawing in painting. I was working lots of odd jobs throughout my time in college, and although I went to college for it, I never saw becoming an artist as a real opportunity or a potential career for myself. So while I was still working various jobs a few years after college, I started drawing and painting again just to get in the practice of it.

In an effort to motivate myself to create more, I signed up for a local maker’s market in Ventura in 2017, which just so happened to take place the same week that the Thomas Fire began and raged through our county the following weeks. Something about the timing of that was meant to be, because after connecting so deeply with our community at the market, meeting people and supporting those in help brought me a sense of connection and joy that set me off to the races on this journey of creating and selling my greeting cards, art prints and paintings.

And thus, Little Salt Wagon began! The name was actually the name of a blog I had started in college, and it felt fitting for selling my artwork and gave a nod to my roots here near the ocean and the west. (I love imaging myself as a traveling salesman in the 1800’s carrying around my wares in an old wagon!)

I started selling greeting cards and art prints because I really liked the idea of creating artwork that was affordable for all people to purchase and use as a means for sharing meaningful notes and messages and adding beauty to homes. Since 2020, I have added original plein air oil paintings to my creative practice, and it has been such a fun experience. Plein Air means painting outside basically, and it’s been the most beautiful way to connect two things that I love so dearly – creating and being outside. I’ve been using my grandpa’s old wooden plein air easel to make these paintings and it has felt like it’s brought things full circle!

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I am lucky to say it has been mostly smooth for me, as the whole process and timeline has happened very naturally and organically over time. I think starting off creating artwork for the joy of it, not to start a business, set things off on a really good track.

There was an in-between period where my work really started taking off, and I was still working full time, and I was staying up really late most nights working on my own artwork after my day job, and my weekends were full of more artwork trying to stay on top of it. But it was so fun and encouraging to know that I was getting such positive rewards for my own work and it kept pushing me to keep going!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in hand painting – it started with watercolor, and now I mostly use gouache and oil as my preferred mediums. I am always eager and interested to keep exploring new mediums like charcoal or pastels and get back more into drawing as that is my first love.

I would say I am most known for my greeting cards as that is what I started off with. My greeting cards are all inspired by my own life growing up in a more agricultural area of Ventura County, and traveling around the western U.S. They harken towards childhood nostalgia, the simple things in life, western living and living life outdoors- all the things that make me happy! And it’s just been so rewarding that others have enjoyed them too.

Once I dipped my toes back into doing more original fine art oil paintings again, I received a lot of interest in that area, and I have focused more on that work in recent years as that has brought me so much joy. Working outside, being forced to focus on what’s presently in front of you and working with the natural elements of our local surroundings is an incredible experience.

We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?
I am not averse to risk taking and actually have a natural lean towards adventure, discovering and trying new things in general in my personal life, but I didn’t take any extra massive risks with my art business starting off, which worked out well for me as I just slowly eased into it over time. Rather, this process for me has been an accumulation of smaller risks over time such as putting myself out there at different markets, and with different vendors which has been challenging as it can be for all artists to put yourself or your work out there into the world.

Pricing:

• My greeting cards are $5 online and around $6 if you find them in stores.
• My art prints are $15 online and around $20 in-store.
• My original oil paintings vary in price from $75 to $300+, depending on the size.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.littlesaltwagon.com
• Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LittleSaltWagon
• Instagram: @littlesaltwagon

Image Credits
Photo Credit: Scott Bair