Meet Mamie Young

I was incredibly shy as a child. In fact, my father used to make me order at the counter at McDonald’s just so I would speak to a stranger. Making art feels scary like talking to a stranger. Someone could judge me, not like me, or worse, ignore me. It was safer to stay invisible. So I took my interest in art and morphed it into a degree in architecture and eventually a career doing graphic design in the film industry for the last 15 years. I only came back to art when I found an alter ego in one of the most outgoing, obnoxious, and bold figures in pop culture…. the wind dancer. They became my muse because in all their artificiality, they did something I couldn’t: dance in the streets without music. What’s more confident than that? Confidence, it turns out, is not being afraid to make a fool of yourself. So I decided to use these icons to examine the world we live in, the absurdities and banalities of society, politics and culture. I am devoting my creative pursuit to exploring wind dancers, because let’s be honest, only a fool would do that.

No, it hasn’t been easy because not everyone likes my art. That’s the simplest way to put it. I’m learning to be OK with that. It’s cool, my art’s not for you. Accepting rejection with grace and not taking it personally and certainly not taking it as a indication of my talent and self worth, it takes a minute to learn. But overall, I’m really enjoying the journey of speaking up and finding my voice. I think art should reflect the times we live in. I want my art to be relevant to the current culture and reflect a moment in history. I am grateful that I have this opportunity.

My works are often very colorful and vibrant. I paint with acrylics on canvas. The paintings usually have a happy vibe with a dose of dark humor and social commentary. I love playing with the tension these characters create. Not everything is what it seems at first glance. For me, the friction is what makes the art interesting and is reflective of the complex world we live in. I take on subjects ranging from politics, to religion, to social media, to consumerism, etc. There’s no topic too serious that a wind dancer cannot make more interesting. I currently sell original paintings online on my website as well as limited edition fine art prints. And I’m always reachable via Instagram so drop me a DM to say hi!

At the moment, I’m working hard towards being able to paint full time and build up my body of work. Eventually, I would love for these wind dancers to get a place in contemporary art history. I want it all. Art Basel, Christie’s, museum retrospectives, bring it! The sky is the limit. Maybe I’m delusional, but if you’re gonna dream, you might as well dream big.