Former Firnew Artist: Richard Young

Using oils-on-canvas, I carefully create each scene.  I strive to capture the drama, mood, and details unique to the places I visit and have lived in.  Although I sometimes work plein air, I usually use photos to finish works in the studio.  Clean edges, details, contrasts, layers of tonal glaze combine to complete each painting.  The intention is that each work will provide a pleasing sense of identity and connection.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, I grew up in West Virginia and have lived the intervening years in Virginia’s Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains.  So the hills and the hollows have always been around me.  Following a career as a school art teacher, I am now painting each day, depicting the nearby natural world.

I am influenced by the time-honored landscapists like Frederick Church, Albert Bierstadt, and the Hudson River School.  Their depiction of distance and drama, light and shadow, the real and the mysterious, continue to inspire.  I also attend weekly critiques and annual exhibits with central Virginia’s Firnew Farm Artists Circle.

Richard’s portrait courtesy of John Berry.