Rick Young Fine Art

About the Artist

Rick Young

Rick finds inspiration in the unique confluence of topography, culture, and light that is the Southwest. He uses bright color and stylized strokes to bring the mountains, mesas, and canyons of northern New Mexico to life.

Artist, Historian, and Teacher

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Miami University (Ohio), Rick moved to Colorado where he embarked on a career in teaching. After earning an MA in US History at the University of Colorado, he wrote an award-winning book, The Ute Indians of Colorado in the Twentieth Century. Rick draws upon his research into the various peoples of the Southwest--Native, Hispano, and Anglo--to better depict the human imprint on this ruggedly beautiful land. Since retiring from teaching, Rick has been painting full time. He lives with his wife and two dogs in Castle Rock, Colorado.

national park service artist-in-residence 2019

Mesa Verde National Park, Sept. 16-28, 2019

Rick spent two weeks at Mesa Verde, interpreting the park's natural and cultural resources through his oil paintings. While living in a historic stone hogan on Chapin Mesa, Rick engaged in an in-depth artistic exploration of this amazing park. He hiked the park's trails and made backcountry visits to five different Ancestral Puebloan sites, taking photographs as source material for future paintings of Mesa Verde's canyons and cliff dwellings. Rick interacted with park visitors during a painting demo at a structure overlooking Spruce Tree House Friday, Sept. 20th.