Christy Young, portrait artist - Her paintings, her portraits

Portraits of portrait artist Christy Young and son Gabriel

Christy's young son, Gabriel, enjoys keeping his mommy too busy to paint her portraits until naptime.

painter of portraits

Christy Young has been painting portraits for 20 years. Her portrait customers say that her likenesses are so accurate that you see not only the subject but their resemblance to uncles, cousins and grandparents as well. Of the portrait of Loren Sweetser, a friend of the family remarked, "Loren's portrait is so real, it's spooky!" Judges like Mrs. Young's portraits for the " depth of feeling she seems to give each subject. You get the idea that she is very close to these people, emotionally."

seated portraits in oil

Link to portrait painting in oil of Gabriel and Owen painted by arist Christy Young

seated portraits in oil

Sample Portraits

full-length seated portraits with pets in oil

full-length seated pastel portraits

full length seated portraits in oil

Full length portraits with toy in oil

Full length portraits with pets in oil

Half-length portraits in oil

full length seated family portraits in oil

About the Artist

Christy is a natural for painting portraits because she has always had a gift for likenesses. She won the grand prize for art in the adult division at the her county fair when she was 15 for a portrait of herself and her Grandfather. This resulted in her first commissioned portrait (portraits) of the Rappolds, a family of 14 children.

The following year she won a state art contest sponsored by the women's division of the VFW for a portrait of her brother as a soldier. That spring she was selected as one of 18 students chosen to attend the Arkansas Governor's School in art based on her innovative use of markers to create portraits.

At the university level Christy was awarded a Fulbright scholarship from the University of Arkansas school of Arts and Sciences. She was accepted into their fine arts program based on her portraits from life in oil, watercolor, and pastel, receiving their Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1986.

After some work as a graphic designer and Art Supervisor she determined to devote herself to painting portraits full-time. She and her husband, Mike, started off this new commitment with a two month tour of the Museums and Cathedrals of Italy.

In the next four years Christy completed over 700 portrait sketches and a growing number of portrait paintings. She won numerous awards for her portraits including:

Second Place, 1991 - Rogers Kiwanis 4th Artist Competition (oil portrait of her father)

Chairman's Award, 1991 - National League of American Penwomen (watercolor portrait of her sisters)

Honorable Mention, 1991 - 11th OAA Competitive Art Show (pastel portrait of her mother)

American Artist Award, 1989 - National League of American Penwomen (watercolor portrait of her grandfather)

Christy Young was honored with her first solo exhibition at the Arts Center of the Grand Prairie, Stuttgart, Arkansas for the month of March 1996. The exhibit featured a selection of twenty-two portraits in oil, watercolor, and pastel.

Her recent public commissions include a portrait of Anne Watson for Anne Watson Elementary School (1997) and a series of Murals for St. Mary's Hospital in Rogers, AR(1997), which included portraits of some of the staff.

Please browse through our on-line selection of Christy Young's portraits by clicking on the thumbnails at the left of this page or by using the buttons below. You may return to our main page to look at our other artists at any time by clicking on the Young Artists Gallery logo.