I came across Brandon Stieg’s otherworldly creations while visiting the new Fairfax Ranch on Olema Road, where his sculptures live and breathe.
What do you do?
I’ve realized a 20-year dream to open a sculpture garden and gallery here in Fairfax called Element Artworks.
I love watching the eyes of a young kid light up as they explore some of the pieces we have. Almost immediately, they seem to grasp the story within the art and connect the dots.
Where do you live?
Lagunitas, West Marin.
How long have you lived in Marin?
I grew up in West Marin, moved away to go to college and eventually pursued a career in snowboarding. My wife and I decided to move back to Marin in 2002 three years before our first child, Aiden, was born.
Where can we find you when you’re not at work?
I love what I do, and much of my spare time is spent in the shop. Aside from that, you’ll find me at my oldest daughter, Ani’s, running races, or my youngest daughter, Lola’s, soccer games. Mix in a surf or a mountain bike ride, and you have my routine.
If you had to convince someone how awesome Marin is, where would you take them?
The Headlands come to mind first… essentially anywhere along the coast, so I tend toward heading west.
What’s one thing Marin is missing?
Diversity in perspective. We certainly live in a bubble here, and I think it takes living outside our little paradise to see that sometimes.
What’s one bit of advice you’d share with your fellow Marinites?
This might be more for the younger gens, but hard things matter. Do hard things, and embrace the failures. Finding what you’re NOT good at helps us define our purpose.
If you could ask anyone to join you at dinner, whom would you invite?
The easy answer would be da Vinci, but I’m also fascinated by the early explorers of our world who risked it all: Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, Ernest Shackleton, Teddy Roosevelt, Lewis and Clark.
What’s some advice you wish you knew 20 years ago?
That the end result matters less than the journey.
What’s something that 20 years from now will seem cringeworthy?
Fiat currency. Scrolling. Plastic bottles.
Big question. What’s one thing you’d do to change the world?
My hope and dream is to leave behind a body of work that inspires others to find their personal calling, creative or otherwise.
Keep up with Stieg at @elementartwork and at brandonstieg.com.
