2 minute read
All There is to See
Laura Young’s artistic journey
by Barb Boyer Buck
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Thwarted at every turn because she is red/green color-blind, Laura Young's development as an artist was difficult. She always knew she wanted to be one, but her parents, teachers, and counselors put seeds of doubt into her mind.
These are the colors Laura Young can’t see - when she was in primary school, it frustrated her when another child would peel off the labels!
She was the first person in her family of origin who went to college, so her parents encouraged her toward something more “practical.”
A grey jay at Lawn Lake
by Laura Young
Her art teachers were astounded at her failures with color – she can't see many of them - and tempered her passion with personal stories about how they thought they were good artists, but ultimately, not good enough.
Laura Young sketches a tree off Trail Ridge Road
Photo by Barb Boyer Buck
When she took an art class in her first year at college, the professor suggested she drop the class because she wouldn't be able to do the color exercises.
Early-morning water color painting at Sprague Lake
She was born in rural West Virginia, but her family moved to Fort Collins when she was in elementary school. She still lives there and she loves to draw in Rocky Mountain National Park, so I filmed her doing a pencil drawing of one of the stunted trees on the tundra off Trail Ridge Road.
Laura Young's sketch of the tundra tree
From her bio: “Laura feels that her upbringing in the American West, a place that's renowned for its rich geological heritage, dramatic vistas and varied wildlife, has informed her art in ways that might not have happened otherwise.”
Greenback Cutthroat Trout, native to Rocky
by Laura Young
"I'm especially interested in areas of rapid transition and how we, as humans, are adding or detracting from the natural beauty around us.
Mountain Cottonwood Hare
"Making art is my way of slowing down and purposefully appreciating a particular bird, mountain or tree that I otherwise might've overlooked,” Laura said. “By painting, I hope to share this appreciation with others.”
She embodies the phrase, “where there is a will, there is a way,” by demonstrating that if there is passion and discipline, almost any disadvantage can create opportunity. She paints in color, too – she goes out in the field with other painters so they can tell her if her pigments make sense.
Laura Young painting on location in Rocky
Read more about her color-blind perspective in her personal blog:
http://lauragyoung.blogspot.com/2014/03/on -being-colorblind-artist-childhood.html
Miriam’s turkey at the Fall River entrance to Rocky
by Laura Young
Winter aspens on the trail to Emerald Lake
by Laura Young
Laura's work now hangs in private collections across the country with top awards from various art organizations, including the Susan K. Black Foundation. Her work has been exhibited in the PAAC National Show in Boulder, the Vida Ellison Gallery in Denver, and the Keimig Gallery of Western Art in Wyoming.
Laura Young painting Hallet Peak from a frozen Nymph Lake
Visit her online gallery at: www.lauragyoung.com
A video demonstration of her nature journaling is included in the July, 2021, edition of HIKE ROCKY online magazine.
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