GEORGE YOUNG

My main source of material is my family and home. My work is diaristic as a starting point, so material is always close by. There are so many things about making a print that are just beyond my ability and this always results in things that I can’t plan. It’s really this that keeps me interested.

“I like the grain of the wood as it does unexpected things. Often you can use the grain to give some relevant texture, or it might be an abstract detail that has a complicated strength of its own.”

My work usually starts with a photograph or sometimes a drawing, usually but not always by me. These provide the main subject of a body of work, but it might just end up a detail.

I spend most of my time in the studio painting so usually I will do several paintings from these original images which can change dramatically. Along the way if I think something could be interesting as a wood block, I will have a go. It works the other way round though too. I may start off with a wood cut and think this is better suited to painting. I find it useful to bounce between different modes to find new ways of making images.

George Young graduated from Falmouth College of Art in 2003 (BA), and the Royal College of Art in 2008 (MA). His practice spans painting, printmaking, sculpture, installation and film. George has exhibited internationally including at Momentum, 6th Nordic Biennial of Contemporary Art, Moss, Zabludowicz Collection, London, Peer Gallery, London, Ana Christea, New York and Galerie Klatovy/ Klenova in Czech Republic, and his work can be found in private collections throughout Europe and the US.