Bob Young
Bob Young completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Visual Art—Studio, Honours) from York University, Toronto, in 1983. In that BFA program, he studied under well-known Canadian painters like Ronald Bloore, Claude Breeze, Paul Sloggett, and Renée Van Helm. After then studying architecture at UBC and working in the field for five years, Bob returned to York and did a Master in Environmental Studies degree and worked in urban planning. Over the years, he has exhibited in juried shows including at the Art Gallery of Guelph, the Wellington County Museum, and with the Society of Canadian Artists in SCA’s 41st National Open Exhibition, Toronto. Bob has had two solo shows: in 2017, at Miijidaa, Guelph; and in 2020, at Art Noise Gallery, Kingston, Ontario. He moved to Kingston in 2019. Post-pandemic, he is currently collaborating with two Kingston artists to put on a three-person exhibition in 2024 or 2025.
“I often go for walks at my local piece of natural landscape, the Lemoine Point Conservation Area. Lemoine Point is within the city boundary of Kingston, Ontario, but it’s a completely naturalized area–136 hectares of forest, field, and marsh. It is bordered by Lake Ontario and Collins Bay; the latter is visible in my painting Spring Runoff, Lemoine Point (oil on canvas, 12”x12”). The painting’s muted greens, blues, and greys suggest both melting snow and the calm waking-up of
early spring. Flashes of yellow in the creek hint at the sun and flowers to come. Most important, seeing spring runoff – a part of the natural yearly cycle as winter ends – gives me some hope for the future. I only hope we’re smart enough, as a species, not to push climate beyond the rhythms we know and love.”