Tourist Boats, Santorini, Greece, taken in 2004 by Spencer Young

River City Art Association member Spencer Young of Clinton, Indiana, will be the featured artist at Gaslight Art Colony in Marshall, Ill., July 16-Aug. 11.

An artist’s reception is set for 6 to 9 p.m. CDT July 16 in the Gaslight gallery at 516 Archer Ave.

MY LIFE AS AN ARTIST
1947-1965 … I grew up in LaGrange, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. In high school, photography was my main hobby and first job. I was a photographer for my high school yearbook for four years and worked part time as darkroom assistant for a local press photographer.

1965-1978 … In college I studied astronomy, earning a B.A. from Northwestern and an M.S. from Iowa State. I worked summers for several local photographers. By the early 70’s it became obvious that no jobs were to be had in astronomy, so I fell back on my only marketable skill, working several years for a portrait and wedding studio. Not wanting to make a career of this, I taught myself geology in my spare time, with the intention of entering the coal business.
1978-2000 … For 22 years I worked as a geologist for a series of small coal mining companies, and one stone quarry. I was able to become a stockholder in the last one. During this time I had no access to a darkroom and my creative output was mostly limited to travel slides.
2000-present … When our coal company was sold, I found myself comfortably retired. Since retiring, I have become a full-time amateur landscape photographer, printing digitally. In 2014 I started making digital art (CAD drawings and fractal flames).

My artistic hero is Ansel Adams.

I have also indulged my twin interests in astronomy and travel by going on group tours to view astronomical events. My trips include:
Total solar eclipses: Indonesia 1983, Caribbean Sea 1998, Turkey 1999 and 2006, West China 2008, Tahiti 2010, Australia 2012, Faroe Islands 2015, and Indonesia 2016.
Transits of Venus: Greek Islands 2004, Central Asia 2012.
Aurora Borealis: Iceland 2007 and 2015.

For more gallery information call 217-293-1050 or visit gaslightartcolony.com