After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Miami University (Ohio), Rick moved to Colorado, earned an MA in U.S. History at the University of Colorado and embarked upon a teaching career. A love of the landscape around him continuously called to his artistic bent, an urge he answered by painting. Initially his work focused on the high country but shifted to the mesas and canyons of the Southwest after he and his wife built a log cabin in southern Colorado. Utilizing bright color and stylized strokes, Young brings the topography, culture, and light that is the American Southwest to life. A long-time advocate for our national parks, Rick completed artist residencies at Mesa Verde National Park (2019) and Capitol Reef National Park (2021). His landscapes highlight the beauty and inspiration to be found on our public lands.