Santa Cruz-based artist Laamsha Young has worked across three primary artistic disciplines: jewelry design, painting, and sculpture. While receiving her MFA in painting from San Jose State University, she discovered her latest passion for foam sculpture, which built upon her earlier practice in jewelry and painting.
Young began making jewelry in the 1980s before founding BlankVerse Jewelry and receiving international recognition, with pieces featured in Vogue and sold through major retailers. When she recently returned to university with an academic focus on traditional painting, her primary medium shifted following an unexpected material discovery.
This shift in medium occurred during a mold-making class. Tasked with creating a simple stress ball, Young encountered the “nerf-like material” and recognized its potential for larger forms. For the past three years, this inexpensive, low-brow material has been the basis of her current practice: large-scale foam sculptures. These pieces often take on elaborate drippy and squishy Baroque forms that she shares, “make squeezy noises.” This juxtaposition between Baroque and playful exposes the void between conceptually high and low art.
A philosophical interest in ornamentation connects Young’s practice in jewelry, painting, and foam sculpture. Drawing inspiration from formal design elements like “wallpaper and silverware,” Young’s work examines: “Who gets to have ornament?” Her current foam pieces actively address the boundary between high art and low art by applying traditional structures, such as candelabras, to accessible, commercial materials.
Young will be featured along with over 340 Santa Cruz County artists in the 2025 40th annual Santa Cruz County Open Studios Art Tour. She is concentrating on debuting a new collection of ornate foam candelabras, which serve as a material-based continuation of her inquiry into the role of ornament in contemporary sculpture.
Follow Laamsha on Instagram at younglaamsha
Explore her portfolio at laamshayoung.net
Learn more about the Santa Cruz County Open Studios art tour at openstudios.artscouncilsc.org