Listening to Form: Dey Young on Sculpture and Sensibility
I first encountered the work of Dey Young in the quiet, serendipitous way so many artistic discoveries happen today—while scrolling through Instagram. Yet what stopped me was not just the image itself, but a presence: a sensitivity to form, material, and emotion that seemed to reach beyond the screen.
Compelled by this immediate connection, I found myself wanting to understand more. Who is the artist behind these works? What path led her to sculpture? What questions, experiences, and inner landscapes shape her practice?
This curiosity became the starting point for a conversation—one that unfolded into an intimate and thoughtful exchange about her journey as an artist, her relationship to her medium, and the evolving language of her work.
Rather than shaping this into a traditional interview, I wanted to preserve the immediacy and clarity of her voice.
I now give the floor to Dey Young, who shares—in her own words—her approach to sculpture, along with reflections on her work, process, and the ideas that continue to guide her practice.
I see my sculpture as a God-given gift. I have had no formal training and I’ve never developed a skill for drawing. For me it is a visceral and instinctive experience. I have a vast appreciation for the female form and it’s beauty and sensuality so I have gravitated to it as a subject matter. My other subject has been world events which have impacted our society such as 9/11, Katrina and Black Lives Matter.
My exposure to art started with my mother. As a little girl, I would be dragged to the Detroit institute of Art and sit under the huge Diego Rivera murals doing my homework, as my mother would lead docent tours through the museum. I couldn’t help but be slowly inspired by all the masterpieces.Through my schooling I was involved with weaving and ceramics but it wasn’t until my senior year in college when I took a sculpture class that my fate was sealed. I studied Brancusi, Arp and Rodin, artists who have continued to influence my work. I was given a block of plaster and tools and carved a lotus bud. When my mother came to visit, she mentioned to my teacher, a revered sculptor how she would love to own one of his pieces someday. He responded matter of factly, “save your money and buy one of your daughters”. With my teacher’s encouragement, I continued. It seemed a perfect hobby to accompany my journey as an actress. Little did I know that my side hobby would become a second career and today I am blessed to show in many galleries and museums and grace the homes of many collectors.
To this day, stone sculpting has been my medium of choice. However there is a great flexibility in working with clay. With both mediums, the process and tools are different, as well as the mindset. When I approach a piece of stone, I am dealing with the surprising properties of the stone. Marble, calcite or alabaster will all determine the outcome and placement of the sculpture. When I approach a raw stone, it is as Michelangelo said, “I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free”. I carve away to discover my form even if I start with a model. It is exciting, always facing the unexpected but it is a long and arduous process. On the right is “Madame Butterfly”, the first piece I carved in Italy.
The marble was sourced from the same quarries Michelangelo used close to Carrara, Italy. I began with a small maquette and I spent the summer in Pietrasanta and roughed out the life-size piece. I then shipped her home with 2 tons of marble to finish in my studio in Los Angeles. “Madame Butterfly” now graces a public sanctuary garden.
Another piece which came from the same quarry in Italy is my garden piece, “La Divina”.
When working in clay, I am more in control of the finished product. I usually have a preset design and build an armature that best supports it. Clay is a building process, often allowing the artist to be more detailed in design. With a mold, the final product can be in bronze, stainless steel, acrylic and other materials. Movement has been something I strive for in my pieces and is easier to achieve with clay. I always like to create a stone like finish with my patina. To the right, is Male and Female Torso featuring movement and a stone like patina.
With my bronze work I have been able to create a few series based on favored themes. I have a number of mythological works. As a little girl my parents read to me mythology and it has influenced my work today. I have gravitated to the Goddesses and portrayed their image with their animal personification. With my Artemis, half her face is cougar and the foot she stands on is a claw; my Athena wears a helmet and is half owl faced. It seemed the best way to define the goddess virtues and characteristics. My Artemis assumes a hunting pose drawing her bow from her toe. The Standing Bow Yoga pose inspired this piece along with my life-long association with this particular goddess.
I have most recently begun my “songbird series” where mythic women from history and our ancestry are in conversation with a songbird sharing their deepest secrets. Universally all my female forms embody an empowerment, a presence and strength of purpose. “Delilah and the Songbird” is based on the seductress from the biblical story of Samson and Delilah.
My latest piece is a small bronze called Avalon. It’s designed to resemble an ancient relic from the time of the Arthurian legends and the Druids when the Female was revered. I felt compelled to write something to accompany her.
There lives a place in all of us where the Goddess resides.
She empowers the sacred feminine calling on our oneness, our wisdom, our intuition and all-knowingness.
This inner guidance from spirit within is that small voice in the wilderness of our hearts where our truth lies. So…
when you are searching for ‘the one’, ‘the answer’ remember it resides deep within the mists of your own consciousness.
That place is Avalon.
I have learned so much about myself through my sculpture. My art has often reflected my inner life process. I have had to grapple with my impatience and my perfectionism and my searching for more. It has also reflected my approach to characters in my acting. Like a raw piece of stone, I believe there is the soul of each character deep within myself and I have to mine through layers of ego to embrace it. And like clay, once I embrace the heart of my character I can embellish her with clothes, dialects, sensory elements and bring more depth and specificity. Having explored both careers side by side for many years, I now have the perspective of how each has fed the other and continues to bring my life full circle.
My sculpture is the gift that keeps on giving.
I highly encourage you to follow Dey’s work and continued journey on both her website www.deyyoungart.com and her instagram @Dey_Young_official.
