Artist Spotlight: Marley Seifert
Marley is a self taught artist based out of Leadville, Colorado. Now a full-time artist she gets much of her inspiration from the outdoors, where she spends time skiing, hiking, mountain biking and capturing nature through her camera lenses to inspire her artwork.
Can you tell me a little bit about your journey to becoming an artist?
The journey all started when I was growing up, I was always working on art projects and hanging out with my mom while she was painting in the yard. I always wanted to be an artist, but it never felt “realistic”. I opted for an Outdoor Recreation Degree in college because I thought that seemed more reasonable.. While I was in college I was constantly working on intricate drawings in classes, and would sell them at an art shop in Leadville. When I graduated college, I was using art as a side hustle until I couldn’t keep up with all the commissions and things! I started full time art in spring of 2020!
What influences your work?
The mountains and my surroundings influence my work! I find color most inspiring and I absolutely love watching the colors change throughout the day and the seasons. There’s always a million different color schemes I want to paint (but I never get around to ALL of them!). I also love collaborating with people, it is so fun bouncing ideas off of someone else. I think some of my influences are also from my experiences I share with people who inspire me - like my mom or my best friends.
What was your inspiration behind each patch?
Like I mentioned above, color plays a HUGE role in my inspiration. When I was thinking of the landscapes in Aspen and Steamboat my mind automatically went to Maroon Bells in Aspen and the amazing champagne snow that’s in Steamboat. I tried to incorporate colors that really gave those scenes that “iconic” vibe.
What is your favorite charity/grassroots org to support?
Colorado 14ers initiative! As someone who grew up in Colorado I am seeing the popularity grow of hiking the 14ers and “peak bagging”. It’s incredibly important to educate people hiking who might not know that the alpine is a fragile environment and we need to take care of it! I love this land and hiking these mountains, I think that this nonprofit does a great job taking care of trails and spreading the word about stewardship.
Anything else you may want folks to know about you, your work, and these patches?
I’m stoked to be working with such a rad company! I love functional art - and I think Outpatch is a great way to 1) have functional art 2) support non-profits 3) support artists around the country! What a cool combo! 