John Young was born in Wangqing City, Jilin Province, China 1970. As a Korean-Chinese artist, his Korean name is Jeon Young Wook, and his official Chinese name is Quan Yong Xu.

John Young was inspired by Impressionist painters Alfred Sisley and George Inness. He demonstrated a passion and natural talent for the fine arts as he grew up with his father, Quan Dong Jhi, a painter and professor at Yanbian University, China. His father’s enthusiasm and artistic talent impacted John, and he concentrated on Impressionist artwork. He graduated from Yanbien University in Gilim Province, China, 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Art. John met his wife, Ashley Lee, an artist, during his college days at Yanbian University. These days they have been painting together in the atrium.

John Young primarily paints American landscapes and seascapes while sometimes painting contemporary still-life. His artwork has recently been shown at numerous art exhibitions and fairs in the United States and China. As a result, his paintings have been in the spotlight at many fine galleries and collectors nationwide.

Artist Statement: What is a painting? For me, painting is my passion. And the process of painting is a kind of training. If everyone has their own passion, my passion is to feel and understand the world from my point of view and interpret it in the language of painting.

When I describe natural landscapes, I do not simply copy or imitate them. I express my personal feelings and ideologies by borrowing natural landscapes’ external colors, shapes, and structures. It’s not once or twice that my life is confused; my mind is frivolous, my strokes are confused, the colors are dark, and the screen is far from the ideology I want to express. I realized my art and my attitude toward life are inseparable. I want to show a warm and harmonious screen and give people uplifting energy. My paintings are my own mirror, truthfully reflecting my condition and inner world.

I like natural scenery. Impressionism landscape paintings are also well combined with my emotions and ideology. However, pictorial expression, which has been visualized according to the development of my consciousness and expression technique, cannot satisfy my desire to express emotions and ideologies more exhilaratingly. I want to break away from the traditional landscape, leave the details, be brief and general, weaken the form, and make the color more subjective. This is a subject I have been researching all along. I am reconstructing my screen composition by trying various techniques and concepts, wandering between conception and abstraction. Perhaps this road is very difficult and long. Pursuing a simpler, more abstract, and deeper level of beauty on the screen will be my eternal pursuit.