Artist Bio
Kristen Young is a self-taught wildlife artist based in Calgary, AB, Canada. She delights in painting animals in acrylic focusing on executing every fine detail of the creature portrayed. Her deep reverence for the creatures she paints is what drives her to create these life-like paintings. She aims to inspire the same respect and awe she has for these creatures in her viewers. Her work has been published in the Pastel 100 magazine 2020 as a finalist, as well as a finalist in the Nature Art competition by Light Space & Time Online Art Gallery 2023. Kristen is an active member in two local artist collectives: The Calgary Sketch and Painting Club and The Calgary Creative Arts Guild.
More About Kristen
I like people to know upfront I am unqualified. I have no art school background, I have no history of growing up painting. I actually never knew I had it in me to paint! If you had told me 7 years ago that I would become a professional artist, you would have seen my jaw hit the floor. I never would have imagined this life I’m living now- but how incredible is it to be watch new dreams come true in your life you didn’t know you had?!
I am a wife and a mom to 3 kids. After I had my third child I became gravely ill with postpartum depression. As part of my healing journey I tried art therapy using water colour paints. As I played with colours on the page it was the first time in my life my brain went silent and I experienced internal peace and rest. That time painting became crucial to healing my brain and a regular part of my day. Over those first couple years I dabbled in abstract oil painting, soft pastels and acrylics. It didn’t take long for art to become my FAVOURITE thing in the whole world. My passion for creating beautiful paintings has only continued to grow to the point that my heart is on fire any moment I get to spend in front of a canvas.
Why Paint Wildlife?
I paint wild animals because I feel a very deep connection to them. I feel like animals connect with us in such a unique and powerful way. I have so much respect and reverence for them I constantly finding more and more animals I want to paint. I want to communicate in my paintings this reverence I have for wildlife: through beauty and often eye contact I aim to create a moment between the viewer and the painting where the viewer feels the painting is almost breathing and alive.
In this moment I want the viewer to take in the creature on the canvas- for all their beauty. Take in their presence- exist together alone for a moment. Moments like that change you. In your soul you feel seen and known in a new way. You feel kind of rediculous for connecting so deeply with a canvas but that paintings speaks to you in new ways that words cannot explain. This is the goal of every painting I create. If I can provide a moment like that for someone in the world I’ve done my job well.