The waters of Georgia's Low Country snake through the
marsh grasses to shape a strangely beautiful landscape full
of challenges and surprises for the landscape painter. And
southern artist Jennifer Young felt an immediate affinity
for it on her first outdoor painting expedition to St. Simons
Island. "It's not unlike my artistic career,"
jokes Young, "full of twists and turns, but beautiful
just the same."
Young is listed
artist who lives and works in Richmond, Virginia.
She creates vibrant landscape oil paintings of the American
south and of various scenes throughout Europe. She received
her formal training in painting and art history at Virginia
Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. During college
and after graduation, her focus was largely centered on
exploring the human figure. As an art history major, Young
traveled to Europe and was particularly drawn to the painters
of the early Renaissance. She loved the drama and theatricality
of those paintings, and sought to incorporate a similar
kind of emotional impact into her own work. Her
figurative paintings garnered gallery and museum
shows in United States, including venues such as the Hofstra
Museum and Purdue University.
But fate and life would intervene to profoundly affect
her art. As Young explains in her own words, "When
my father died from pancreatic cancer, I went through a
great deal of introspection. Gradually I turned from painting
large psychological figurative works to exploring a different
kind of painting tradition--the landscape. I found myself
wanting more and more to create in a way that was personally
more life affirming; and the act of getting out of the studio
to paint directly from nature was in the beginning a way
for me to lift my own spirits. I had always been drawn to
landscape paintings," she continues, "and I would
occasionally experiment with them, even in my 'figurative'
days. But the summer after my father died, my husband bought
me a great birthday gift--my first outdoor easel. It was
then that I explored the art of outdoor painting, or painting
'en plein air' in a serious way. It was exhilarating!"
From that point on, Young says she was hooked on painting
the landscape.
Her renewed love of landscape painting naturally led her
to explore in greater depth the paintings of the French
Impressionists; namely Monet, Renoir, and Sisley. It has
also led her on many travel adventures to Europe and to
scenic places in the American South to develop fresh new
ideas for her paintings. Jennifer now paints on location
both locally and abroad. She also works in her studio, located
in Richmond's downtown. Though her paintings continue to
evolve, there remain threads of continuity, such as her
love of color and her desire to create strong and dynamic
compositions.
Jennifer displays her work in her
online gallery at www.jenniferyoung.com,
and shares information about her newest paintings and her
painting processes on her blog at www.jenniferyoung.com/blog.
She also displays work at her working studio and exhibition
space, Jennifer Young Studio & Gallery in Richmond, Virginia.
Visit the gallery if you're in the
area. Click here to
see opening hours. Also open during the First
Fridays Richmond art walks from 6 to 8:30 pm. The
gallery is located just two blocks east of the historic
Jefferson Hotel at: 16 E. Main Street, Richmond, VA 23219.
Click
here to see a map and get driving directions
from your location.
Please call
1-877-DIAL-ART (or 804-254-1008 in Virginia) to schedule
a visit.
Jennifer's work is also represented
by these fine art galleries and dealers:
City Art
Gallery, Greenville, NC, phone: (252) 353-7000
The Little
Gallery, Smith Mountain Lake, VA, phone: (540) 721-1596
Links
and more information about Jennifer Young:
Website:
www.jenniferyoung.com
Blog:
www.jenniferyoung.com/blog
Jennifer's
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Jennifer's
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Jennifer Young
