2022 Bighorn Rendezvous Artist – Dan Young

Dan Young was born in Denver and grew up in rural western Colorado. His experiences of camping, fishing, and exploring throughout the Rocky Mountains as a child have been a strong influence on his work. He attended Colorado Institute of Art, hoping to find a direction for his talent. After graduation he moved to Dallas, Texas, to pursue the commercial art field. Even with a successful illustration career, the landscape of his youth was always calling him back to Colorado. He returned in 1989 to begin painting full time. Young enjoys painting the rural life of the west, the ranches that dot the mountain valleys and river bottoms. He clings strongly to the importance of painting from life. He tries to spend as much time as possible painting on location, trying to capture his love and appreciation of nature on canvas. He has worked diligently trying to convey the feel of the moment in his paintings. 

“For me it is not about the details of a scene. It’s the emotion of the moment that I’m after”.