Artist Interview - Mariele Williams of Young in the Mountains
I first met Mariele of Young in the Mountains a few years back when styling a fun stop motion video using some of her jewelry with a talented photographer friend of mine, Brandon Joseph Baker. See our throwback work here. In the years since the video, Mariele’s work has grown exponentially and now she has expanded her offerings to some lovely ceramic pieces in addition to the jewelry she has always made. Check out her beautiful pieces in the store now, and use code YITM20 for 20% off through June, 22nd.
Hometown: Missoula, Montana
Where do you live now, and how did you come about being there?
I grew up in western Montana and moved to San Francisco when I was 20. I lived on the coast there for 6 years. Things are expensive and not always easy in a city. I moved to Boulder, Co. about a year ago to take a little break from the hustle of the city. This last winter in Colorado was quite a shock. It’s amazingly beautiful here but I am honestly missing the ocean and the California seascape quite a lot. I think I will be moving back later this summer.
Tell us a little about yourself and what you do.
I am and always have been an artist. I come from a very creative family, my mom is a talented landscape designer and my dad has built musical instruments and over 101 drift boats. Making things more beautiful was a family ethos. I spent time creating clothing and a few different collections of bags in the past. Now I design and create two collections from my design studio, ceramics and jewelry.
How did you get into making/designing jewelry and ceramics?
I made my first piece of jewelry at the age 5, from an oyster shell and a thin blue silk ribbon. My dad still has it and tries to sell it back to me every time I go home. I have been designing and selling jewelry since I was 17. Wood has always been an important medium to me and at first the designs were simple and featured only small amounts of silver wire. After studying silversmithing in northern Mexico in 2010 for a few weeks, I was able to come back to my studio where I developed my wood style into the sterling silver pieces you see now.
I took my first ceramics class in college and was absolutely terrible. I took every piece home and smashed it on the cement. I won’t have any bad art out there with my name on it. I think I had the hardest time with the glaze colors. You never know quite what will happen to a glaze in the kiln. For me it was frustrating to not have that control. Years later in SF I took a class at the Jewish Community center. It was there that I first saw the sgraffito technique that I use today. Under glaze doesn’t change color like traditional glaze. With sgraffito I can create complicated graphic patterns and they turn out almost exactly like I want. I really like that control.
How has your jewelry style evolved over the years?
Immensely. When I was 17, I started carving out these very complicated wood earrings on my dad’s band saw. I guess I was more fearless back then. I am surprised I never cut myself on that rusty old band saw. After I moved to SF and became a flea market junkie, my jewelry started to incorporate more chain and found items. I started to use more bones, antlers, teeth and feathers that I would collect on trips back to Montana. The people in SF really found it exotic and it was fun to build these complicated sculptural pieces. I always knew I wanted to combine silver with wood, and after traveling to silversmith classes in New Mexico I was able to finally create some of the sterling silver and wood pieces that I had been storing in my head for so long. It’s been a few years since I first picked up the torch and after lots of experiments, books and trial and error you see work I am creating today. At the moment I am teaching myself how to set diamonds. Stay tuned for the future fine jewelry collections… My style is always evolving, no artist wants to make the same thing every day. As soon as I feel like an assembly line at a factory I know it’s time for a pivot.
Who or what are you influences in art, jewelry and or ceramics?
I just sit down and let the ideas flow. I am inspired by my surroundings, whether it’s the coast or the mountains. I studied cultural anthropology in college for a while and I have always been intrigued with the Hopi, Zuni and Acoma Indian pottery and jewelry techniques. Places like Mesa Verde make me feel so inspired. A civilization gone, but the material evidence is left in place through the ages. I would like to believe that my work will survive that long and be studied by future generations.
What are you working on now, any special projects?
I would love to be able to create engagement rings. Real heirlooms that will be passed on for generations. I have been reading so many books and tutorials online about diamond setting. Things are going well, and I was surprised how easy it was after much studying.
Describe your design aesthetic in 3 words: natural, contrasting, simple
Are there any particular pieces of clothing, jewelry or art you are lusting over right now?
I am always on the hunt for the perfect pair of leather boots. I would love to be a shoe designer in my next life!
Polka dots or Stripes?Vortexes
What’s one thing many people would be surprised to know about you?
I can’t sing and am definitely not a performer.
If you could live in anywhere at any time in the past, what would you pick?
I would want to live in Mesa Verde.
When the possibilities of the day feel overwhelmingly exciting.
What are you listening to right now?
First Aid Kit at this exact moment, but I have really been loving the Kinks and the Animals lately. Ebo Taylor and any old African blues or jazz.
What are you reading now?
Branding books and also lots of internet tutorials on business and diamond setting. I make sure to read at least one poem before I go to bed to clear my head from working all day.
Where are your favorite places to travel to for relaxing or inspiration?
The river, the woods, the mountains. I love to be alone, in the wild or even just in a hot bath. I find being alone with my ideas and my work the most comforting and inspiring.
USE CODE YITM20 FOR 20% OFF IN THE STORE ON ANY YOUNG IN THE MOUNTAIN PIECES.
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