Local artist Yvonne Young has been creating art in St. Petersburg for over 30 years, and her newest collection titled “FUN” premiered on Jan. 16 at St. Pete Art Works at 635 Central Avenue.
The collection, named for its bright colors and exciting visual design, features six pieces of Linocut prints, with inspiration drawn from butterfly wings that contour the page in symmetrical patterns.
Linocut printing is an artistic technique where the artist cuts away from a linoleum block to create a relief that can be imprinted on a page. The print is then brought to life with a vibrant palette of water colors.
This exhibition is part of a monthly series that highlights different local artists apart of the Gulf Coast Artist Alliance.
Although Young has been producing art for quite a while, she said it hasn’t always been easy.
“Sustaining yourself as an artist is difficult,” she said. “There is no steady paycheck, no health insurance, no 401K. But I do it anyway. I just have to do it.”
Young said she thinks the work is rewarding, and that students should still pursue their artistic goals no matter how hard it may seem.
“There was a lot of years when I was younger that I didn’t have any confidence in myself. Once I began to really put myself out there, do it for me and do what I wanted to do — then, I started to feel like I could,” Young said. “I would say that anyone with any creativity within them should use it. Don’t hold back.”
