Kenneth Young was raised in Hudson, New York. He honed his skills as a child by copying pictures from comic books and completing paint-by-numbers kits. Throughout his adolescence he furthered his art education via correspondence courses and with the support of his high school art teacher. During this time, Kenneth also embarked upon a comprehensive study of the Bible.
For nearly 20 years, Kenneth put his art on hold while he focused on supporting his family and studying scripture. He worked at the WB McGuire factory for years, eventually taking a job as a caretaker on the estate of James McMahon, an insurance executive. McMahon’s passion for airplanes brought Kenneth back to art when his employer requested that he create posters featuring vintage airplanes from McMahon’s private collection. This led to further commissions of works depicting scenes, objects and figures from aviation history, and reignited Kenneth’s passion for painting.
In the following years, Kenneth continued to support his family and engage with his art. He worked on house painting crews and eventually started his own company. Eventually, a trip to the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA changed his life. Viewing Monet’s and Sargeant’s works in person initiated an intense productive period for Kenneth. When he wasn’t painting houses, he painted street scenes in Hudson, the paintings acting as moodscapes as much as they do landscapes. Kenneth seeks to tell a story with his work, to draw his viewer in and encourage them to interpret what they see for themselves. His deftly painted, atmospheric works are dazzling in their technical precision and possess an undeniable mystique.