Today we’d like to introduce you to Yarrow Mazzetti.
Hi Yarrow, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
My background comes from the study of horticulture, fine furniture building, metal smithing, cast concrete, and composite construction practices. I began working as a wild crafter in the hills and valleys of north central Washington at 10 years old harvesting plants with medicinal value from nature.
When I was 13 I apprenticed to a man by the name of Will Mooney who taught me the art of tree grafting. I worked with him seasonally propagating a broad host of plants until I was 28. During these 15 years, I became a master grafter, creating millions of ornamental trees and shrubs in Oregon and Washington. During this time I’m proud to say that I grafted over 75 cultivars of Japanese Maple as well as hundreds of cultivars of apple, cherry, pear, and plum trees. In addition to these deciduous types, I specialized in the propagation of broad-leaf evergreens and conifers as well as.
In the winter months, I would travel to Mexico where I bought land and built a beautiful house for myself right on the beach. Here I made friends with and had the opportunity to learn the art of concrete under Master Builder Maximiliano Hernandez Ponce. Max and I traded English lessons for engineering lessons, permits, tools, and access to trained workers. Over the course of eight years, I actualized my dream of building a cast concrete house. By the end, I had built every window, door, and cabinet myself as a labor of love and means of connecting with and learning about each material.
In the quest for knowledge, I decided to apprentice to a timber framer/architect and wood carver by the name of Jarin Lindsey. Jarin and I spent a year building a Ti Chi Do Jo Temple in the Canadian San Joan Islands using no nails, the entire frame was held together using mortise and tendon joinery held together by yue wood dowels. The temple stands today with its interlocking copper shingle roof as a monument on Pender Island guarding the point of entry into Canada perched high on the rocks of Tilly Point.
With a quest for knowledge and a desire to learn the fine art of furniture building, I spent 5 years studying and working under artist and designer Santo Cominos. Under his tutelage, I learned how to balance proportions, and select and pair materials. I learned how to carve wood and stone. Santo was an expert in the long-lost art of making heavy entrance doors, and how to forge metal using high heat and hammers.
Santo’s design aesthetic, appreciation, and knowledge of the craftsmen that came before us and his unprecedented attention to detail played a key role in filling out my schooling as a craftsman. From there, I spent several years in New York City, where I continued practicing my craft – making large-scale sculptures, fine furniture, custom art cars, paintings and a fleet of public art cars called The Lady Buggies.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I imagine similar to many full-time artists my road traveled has been similar to a roller coaster with many ups and downs with plenty of sharp turns here and there just to keep the ride interesting and anything but boring.
One thing that over and over again I’ve found to be true is for me to make money, find new clients, and connect I have to go out so I find myself working all day and then finding the energy to once again go out on the town. Sometimes it’s a struggle to get out of bed to do it all over again show after show, event after event. Show business isn’t for the faint of heart.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in making art that people become part of. Taking a blank box and turning it into an awe-inspiring spectacle. Building objects that truly touch, move, and inspire people of all ages. While I continue to design and create fine furniture and paintings, my ongoing project has been The Lady Buggies. These kinetic objects that bring with them light, color, and sound – my art cars are truly night clubs on wheels.
One is great but two, three, five, ten, or fifteen cars moving together making music, and putting on a light show along with costumed drivers moving through the night is something truly unique. The Lady Buggies are a fleet of glowing cars that have traveled across the country for the last 10 years visiting hundreds of events and festivals and they look better today than when they were born.
We’d love to hear about how you think about risk-taking.
My crew and I grew up calling ourselves adrenaline junkies. We taught ourselves how to snowboard down shoots/launch cliffs, rock climb multi-pitch crags, hang glide the windiest of ridges, and surf the biggest of waves just by grabbing the gear and throwing ourselves headlong into it. When I turned 30 I decided to not do anything for money except make public art.
So once again I taught myself how to build cars, costumes, fine furniture, and paint and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since. First, you have to believe in yourself and that’s when others will follow until then you have nothing. So yes I believe in taking risks/calculated risks and reaching for the stars. Imagine the worst that can happen you might trip over the moon.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://theladybuggies.com/
- Instagram: @theladybuggies
