|
Lynda Young sought the help of Kristie Barnett, the Decorologist, to update the Brentwood home she shares with her husband, Gary, a prolific landscape and still life painter. Melanie G Photography A painter's palette: Inside Gary and Linda Young's home
Gary Young completed his first painting at age 51 and continues to paint in his home studio. Melanie G Photography
The new palette of soft greens and blues complements the Youngs’ art collection. Melanie G Photography
The dining room now features a two-tone color scheme with a richer hue featured on the ceiling. Melanie G Photography
Kristie Barnett styled the Youngs' bookshelves with their books, artwork and keepsakes. Melanie G Photography
The master bedroom is now serene and welcoming. Melanie G Photography
Though they were once stacked away in his studio and a storage room, Gary Young's still life and landscape paintings are now featured throughout the Youngs' home.
A grouping of Gary's still life paintings line the wall of his office. Melanie G Photography
Although some of his paintings hung on the walls, Gary's studio and an upstairs storage room were stacked with his work. Melanie G Photography
An earlier hobby of Gary's was making Windsor chairs. He made about 30 Windsor chairs by hand over an 18-year period. I first met Gary and Lynda Young in the fall of 2012. Lynda Young had been following my design and color articles in The Tennessean for some time and had shared them with her husband, Gary, as they began considering some changes in their Brentwood home. She eventually contacted me to help her choose new paint colors and update the interior of their home. During my first visit, I found that the Youngs' home was filled with art. There were paintings collected from their favorite artists, as well as Gary Young's own landscapes. I quickly learned that he was a prolific landscape and still life painter. Although some of his paintings hung on the walls, Young's studio and an upstairs storage room were stacked with his work. The walls of the home were covered in a paint that could best be described as the color of peanut butter. Although this orangey-tan color was very popular 10 years ago, it did absolutely nothing to complement or enhance the art that hung upon it. I knew the best thing I could do for the Youngs was to create a paint color palette for the home that would be the perfect backdrop for the beautiful art, putting the focus on the thing most important to them. Over the next several months, I helped the Youngs choose new paint colors, update lighting, purchase new rugs, group and hang their art, arrange furniture, style bookcases and stage their accessories. Along the way, I learned more about their story and their lives. New perspective Decades ago, Gary Young built a career in medical capital equipment sales and raised a son with his wife. Later, the couple became art enthusiasts and collectors, and Young enjoyed building Windsor chairs as a hobby in his spare time. Young made about 30 Windsor chairs by hand over an 18-year period. Then 9/11 happened. At the age of 50, Gary Young's perspective on life changed overnight. He realized he was spending time on things that didn't really bring value to life and desired a real change in his own. He began studying Betty Edwards' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" and completed his first painting at age 51. He and Lynda traveled to Italy in 2002. As they toured the art museums, Young remembers turning to his wife and saying, "I can do this." Soon after their return, Young began taking workshops from local and national artists, including Roger Dale Brown, Jason Saunders, Scott Christensen and C.W. Mundy, who has become a mentor and a friend. Young now assists Mundy with workshops. He began to study the fundamental science of art and incorporated that into his everyday life. Now, his art drives everything else in his life and is woven into everything he does. Young says that his art motivates him in other areas of his life, including his sales career, and that it often becomes a relationship-builder with others he encounters. "I believe we are in a second Renaissance of art in America," Gary Young says. "Some of the greatest artists in human history are alive today — but that will only be realized by the masses in retrospect." Gary Young is an inspiring example of pursuing a dream in the midst of everyday existence, allowing it to complement and enhance one's life and relationships. "The gift is the desire," he says. "The purpose is not in the painting; it's to live a life of intense meaning."
|
