Name, Location:
Lila Rice Marshall, Brooklyn, NY

SM: You’ve spent time in major cities on both coasts – how has your creativity differed in these diverse places?

Lila: Well, it’s a little cliche but so true: in CA I found much of my inspiration in the natural world. I was very into hiking in the hills and spending as much time outdoors as possible. In NYC, I am continually inspired by the collective energy of the human culture of the place. One simply cannot sit still doing nothing and expect to survive as an artist in New York, but thankfully the community and the spirit of the city offer me all the inspiration I need to move forward and to continue to evolve as a designer and maker. It’s a hustle, for sure, but it’s like being in the ocean. You have to swim hard but it also holds you and moves you.

SM: Many of your pieces are straightforward and shaped for statement, the Pyramid Necklace for example, but distressed in their details, like the Armor Necklace. What attracts you to bolder, stronger shapes at the outset, but then draws you in for the details?

Lila: I am known for making bold, geometric shapes, and symbols I guess. I really love for people to attach their own meanings too but it’s true that I find a lot of pleasure in the small bits. Those little textural details, like hammering printing with lace with the rolling mill, or the careful laying down of a patina…Those are the ways in which you can really see the hand of the metalworker. The details, for me, are what distinguish a handmade art object from something manufactured. Not that I’m anti-manufacturing, but they are different animals entirely.

SM: Do you have any favorite piece(s) at Spanish Moss? If so, what Lila Rice piece would you style it/them with?

Lila: Right now I’m really into simple, clean, flowy shapes with dark, weathered-looking statement pieces. I think a palette like that provided by the Tristessa Tank, San Cristobal Caftan, and the Joaquin Blouse in white with something like the Spear Necklace or Large Gem Necklace creates a really interesting contrast and really makes the jewelry appear to be some kind of relic or partially-decomposed object.

I actually just got home from a Caribbean vacation (OMG!!!!!! Amazing!) and I wore a long white caftan I bought from the vintage section of Spanish Moss -TRUE STORY! – pretty much the whole time I was there with the Large Gem Necklace. I’ll attach a pic here for proof:

SM: Do you share an artistic back and forth with any other artists? If so, what’s the value and utility of an artistic community to your work?

Lila: Many of my friends are artists and designers, so I can’t really imagine what my life or my work would be without that supportive community element. One poignant example: I’ve had a design relationship with clothing designer Mary Meyer for years and years. I think that our friendship and collective community is a piece of what informs both of our design processes. Though I wouldn’t say that we design for each other, per say, our styles have evolved together and our pieces have always worked well together. We are like family and so are our pieces! And more recently, I have been doing some jewelry design back-and-forth with my boyfriend. I’m really excited about collaborating with him in the future because he’s damn talented. Stay tuned, folks!

SM: Your bio also mentions your parents are artists – what medium(s) did they work in? Do you ever feel their aesthetic presence or voice in your own work?

Lila: My mother is a painter and is generally ridiculously competent in any craft medium, be it wood or cement or watercolor, and my father is a painter and a writer, and so is his wife. They are certainly present in my work and everywhere else in my life, as I’m still very close with my folks. My mother is totally obsessed with tools, and I definitely inherited that from her. Tools and shoes, that’s where my money goes!