Spotlight on Dustin Young
/BY CARA SCHAEFER
Our relationship with the natural world is often complex, but nature itself can be surprisingly minimalist. We spoke with Dustin D. Young, a Louisiana-based artist, who captures this stark beauty through contour line drawings and other works of art.
Photos courtesy of Dustin Young.
OUT THERE: What was the start of your artistic journey? And how has that evolved over time?
DUSTIN YOUNG: It’s hard to pinpoint. I was always doodling because I'm an introvert by nature. When I need to keep myself occupied, I draw, and it has slowly and organically transformed to what it is now. It’s like that book by Austin Keleon, “Steal Like an Artist” — he doesn't really mean to steal, but to get some ideas. Try to make things your own. That’s what I try to do.
OT: Nature is a common theme in your art. Why do you think you are drawn to flowers, insects and other aspects of the natural world?
DY: I think as a society, we're getting away from nature. For example, I have a daughter who doesn't even play outside. We’re losing touch. In my house, I have all kinds of plants. They all come from being raised by my grandmother; she loves plants. I just like the feel. I sometimes talk to them as well.
OT: On your website, it says you try to create a sense of “visual calm” in your work. What do you personally associate with a sense of calm or tranquility?
DY: I'm trying with the whole minimalist aspect of flowers to convey that nature's much simpler — and not to overthink. When I draw these flowers, there's no rhyme or no rules. It’s wherever I put the pen down, try to imitate nature, that’s what I get.
OT: Is there a plant or animal that shows up more than others in your work or even everyday life?
DY: Tulips when I first started to attempt a contour line drawing. I have a tub full of tulips people have never seen. I practiced over and over, trying to convey that tulip the best I could. That's my flower.
OT: How do you respond when a drawing doesn't turn out the way you hoped it would?
DY: I tear it up! I tear it up and start over from the same perspective point that I started out with. Also, I keep in mind we as human beings are too critical of ourselves sometimes. I think once I let go of that more, the drawings took on more of a life of their own. People started gravitating to them, once I let go of the fear of what others thought.
OT: When you sit down to a blank piece of paper, how do you decide what to draw?
DY: I find a song and I put it on repeat. It depends on the mood I’m in. Let’s say I was drawing a tulip. I would want to work from the bottom, from the leaves to the actual tulip. I don’t want to jumble up the image with too many back-and- forth, crossing lines. Then something within me says, “Hey, it’s done.” Leonardo da Vinci said it best: “Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
OT: In what ways do you hope to use art to continue to explore the world around you?
DY: I would like to keep it in the realm of nature, because it's something that’s not man-made. Something that man really doesn't have control over, even though he tries to alter it. He doesn’t have that say so against a cell, a nucleus, or a life. That's what makes it magical for me.
