Donna Young began painting at the age of four. Over the years she refined her skills as a contemporary artist and utilized her talents in painting ceramics and creating graphic illustrations. Now recognized as an accomplished oil and pastel artist, she portrays a vivid and effervescent aspect of landscapes found in the Northwest region of the United States. Formally educated by way of the Burnley School of Professional Art in Seattle, Washington, today she concentrates on painting northwestern scenes.
Painting from life is a pursuit unlike any other type of painting genre. For an artist such as Young, the challenge is to concentrate every sensory nerve on the beauty in front of her. She must absorb everything form sight to smell, atmosphere to earth. Transcending these emotions and perceptions from head to hand, hand to canvas through a medium of colors, recreating the vision on canvas.
The spontaneous and vibrant colors of her medium result in works that are rich in energy, become a celebration to the eye, and seem almost as timeless as nature itself. Through her dedication to her art she is able to translate her vision into a two dimensional form that is highlighted through her contrasting dark and intense color schemes and the ability to uplift emotions.
Ms. Young’s influences stem from classic Contemporary realists such as Andrew Wyeth, whose works from the 1940’s depict focal points in the landscape, and with the use of composition cause the eye to move in a fluid path around the painting. Her passion is also inspired by the oil works of Richard Schmid, evidenced in her transitions of color and contrasts.
When she paints, her intent is to draw in each viewer as an individual and make them feel as if they were absorbed within landscape, sharing the peaceful scenery of streams, hills and structures with only themselves. Her attempt is to make each person feel peacefully in awe of nature.
She is a winner of numerous artistic awards and is an active member of Plein Air Painters of Oregon, Oil Painters of America, as well as a signature member of the Pastel Society of America. Her devotion to the art of painting her visions of nature has resulted in having exhibitions in major corporate headquarters as well as having earned a strong following among private collectors.
Donna Young has a studio in Washington State. She has found inspiration in the quiet serenity of the mountains and rivers that coalesce into an atmosphere unique to the Northwest. The aesthetic quality of her paintings has created a heightened sense of spirit and a new vision to the art of the American Northwest Landscape.
