ABOUT US...
Once upon a time there were two moms. They were very creative people (an architect and an actress) and they got sick of getting up and going to boring jobs and feeling like they weren't using their "true gifts". So they hatched an escape plan to go back to their more artistic roots and make something beautiful for people. They began by playing with their two favorite mediums: paper and fabric. Eventually the paper became their singular passion. They figured out (all by themselves!) how to make molds from their sculptures and cast them. They took paper making classes and began experimenting with paints and dyes. Soon other materials starting showing up in their collages. Thirteen years (and several children and houses later) Nancy and Wendy moved their studios out of their homes and settled into a studio in downtown Minneapolis for 5 and half years. There they met almost everyday to work on their latest creative ideas. Their work has changed over the years from simple white relief cast scuptures and fiber collages to vibrantly dyed papers mixed with sticks, wire, etc. Currently, the studio has been relocated to Nancy's home in Stillwater to allow more freedom to develop new work, apart from maintaining the larger studio space. They attribute their foray into color to the long winters in Minnesota. Their "visual parables", as they call them, continue to evolve as they continue to explore the potential of handmade paper. As Degas said "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."

In other words, Waterfield Young is the creative collaboration of Nancy Waterfield & Wendy Young. Nancy lives in Stillwater, MN with her husband, Richard and son. She received her BA in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis, MO. Wendy lives in Plymouth, MN with her husband, John and two children. She received her theater training at Bethel College in Arden HIlls, MN.

Each piece of art they create is original and made completely by their own four hands. They have been heard to say that this job requires both of them as each possesses half the skill set.

How did you get started?

Nancy I met at a property management company downtown Minneapolis in 1986. We became fast friends and determined to find a means of expressing our more creative origins. Nancy was a registered architect and my training was in theater (I was going to be an actress once!). These different backgrounds have proved to be excellent foils for one another. In November 1990, we entered our first art show with a simple set of cast paper ornaments and Amish style quilts. The rest is history! The past 18 years have brought changes, growth and an evolving style that bears our signature blend of talents. Nancy and I get a real kick from keeping each other "unstuck" as progress in transforming ideas into artwork.

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