Artist Jay Young Reveals A Bold New Visual Identity We Can All Relate To
When we are young, we're often rebellious. As time goes on, we redefine ourselves through the trial and error of life's experiences. We learn from heartbreaks, from successful moments and everything in between. With each stage of our life, we adjust our identity to the individual we aspire to become. This type of self identity transition is exactly what can be found today in the brilliant work of Virginia based artist Jay Young.
"I've always been in the pursuit of searching for the identity of my artwork. Chaos Within Order is how I like to define it. I think everyone on earth has had, or is having an identity issue. We've all gone through something where we question ourselves. What I've realized is the artwork I create, has become about capturing that personal identity struggle that we've all faced before."
Visuals by Spencer Hall
The journey began with a love for photography and the realization that drawing felt like an escape from the world. The emotions Jay had from creating art fueled him to push forward and create more. While other artists studied masters through traditional practice, Young became drawn to distortion, particularly the work of Nicola Samori. This has been an influential part of his artwork today.
WHEN THINGS CHANGED
Having that "aha moment" doesn't happen for many artists. It takes an incredible amount of perseverance, sacrifice, and dedication to uncover something that feels both new and different. The result is something that isn't regularly witnessed in the art market.
"I could lose everything but I"ll still find a place, a schedule, and a lifestyle that will help me maintain my obsession that I have for this craft. It's a personal sacrifice to become the artist I want to be."
With an all or nothing mentality, night and after night in the studio, eventually things began to really change. In late 2019 Jay began posting a new style of work that became extremely well received.
Giving each painting a focal point, Jay creates an eyeball and leaves the rest of the figure distorted. This is the signature technique he uses to create his Chaos within Order. It enables the viewer to have a reality they can touch back to.
"A lot of people look at my work and see a male or female. But I don't paint anyone specific. I want you to find that person or micro message that you pull from looking at it. It's about getting lost and finding your way back, using the eyeball as a guide. "
BRAND COLLABORATIONS
Artist Replete first noticed the rising star from a collaboration that Jay did with the critically acclaimed brand Ksubi. The artist effortlessly painted an alluring image not often seen on apparel. That was one of many moments that's helped skyrocket the Virginia native's collectors list, which currently expands all the way to Asia.
EVOLVING THE STYLE
Throughout the course of Jay's career as an artist, he's continuously experimented with his style by adding new materials along the way. He initially used water colors, next was oil paint, then he transitioned to both oil and resin.
"Adding the resin pours to my work, there is something therapeutic about it. It has this galaxy, futuristic look to it. It also makes each piece completely unique because there is no way to perfectly mimic how paint pours into other colors. It adds another level of emotion."
IN CLOSING
Much like we update our self identity as we age, Jay has consistently updated the final product he creates. The layers have become more complex, to reference our own complexity and personal evolution. He's found a 3rd door between abstract and portrait art. A door that may not have existed previously in this manner... until now.
Artist Replete is proud to announce a new partnership with the immensely talented and highly sought after, Jay Young. The artist is currently accepting commission work. We'll be updating his portfolio page as new creations become available.
For more info, feel free to contact us via email at Info@artistreplete.com
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