The local maremma stone near to where Young lives and works is a brecciated quartzite, consisting of large quartzite crystals embedded within an often rich terracotta coloured block of debris. It is extremely hard, and therefore difficult to carve. The result is a more abstract, impasto carving style. Rather than dictating exactly how she could work – as one would with a softer stone – Young found she had to form a 50/50 relationship between herself and the stone, one where neither party could dictate terms. This moment was an important catalyst for Young’s sculpture moving in a new and more direct direction, which we now see in the majority of her carvings.