Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Young.
Hi Michael, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Well, My earliest interest in art came by watching my father painting in our basement. I wondered how he recieved so much pleasure from doing so. Sadly my high school didn’t offer art classes back then but I was lucky enough to find a commercial art school in Salina Kansas, in two years, after graduation I landed an illustration job in Kansas City Mo. At this time I was taking Portrait painting classes and acquiring as many good art books as I could. I opened a gallery in downtown Leavenworth Ks. and worked there until my girlfriend Vickie and I moved to New York City so I could study Artist Anatomy, I worked in several studios to get by, but then was offered an illustration job in Dallas. It was important for me to get a thorough knowledge of rendering from my head, which I am still practicing today.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Fairly Smooth, I tell young artist to be well rounded, to be able to perform a variety of art well, It is so important to be able to draw and paint, this will allow you to land jobs such as portraits, murals, illustrations and paintings. In the early 70s I did a lot of airbrush art on motor cycles, vans and custom cars, It was quite an experience, No, but being a professional isn’t for everyone, You never know when your phone will ring or if a painting sells, I jokingly tell students, “Just don’t go pro. I tell people I’ve thought about combining the world hardest profession with the worlds oldest, Ha! But I wouldn’t change anything about my career. When you’re in the right moment it is truly magical!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
In the early 80s After NY we were living in Dallas when I had the opportunity to do an Art Deco Style mural for a really nice Home, I gathered as much research and painted a small work. My client loved it and asked me to do a 7×14 foot mural in 3 sections. This really began my Deco style for many years to come, I found an agent who took me to Art Expo in New York City in 1987 Luckily the national chain Dyansen Galleries stopped and bought all my work. For the next 5 years I was painting 3 works a month, having shows in Beverly Hills, New York San Fransisco, Boston and many more. They also produced Lithographs and Serigraphs of many of paintings, I’m most proud of my 22 ft. x 8ft. Brown vs. the Board of Ed. Mural In the Kansas State Capitol in Topeka Ks.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Well my mom and dad for starters, my wife Vickie always believed in me which allowed me to be creative, My Anatomy instructor in New York Bill Weltman was a positive role model and encouraged me. My Agent Pat Carlson whom really launched my professional career. My dear late art friend John O’Brien who we worked together and loved discussing art and visiting the great art museums of N.Y. My son Ian who produces my prints and scans my work!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michaelyoungfineart.com
Image Credits
Ian Young, Image Quest and Jeff Osborne
