Mt. Laurel resident Honore Young has loved art ever since she was a child.
However, for many years, she never displayed her work in a gallery.
That is all changing this month as Young’s work sits on display at her hometown library.
Young has released her photography to the viewing public as the July and August featured artist at the Mt. Laurel Library. Young’s photography is on display in the library’s Internet Café through Aug. 28.
This is Young’s first foray into the world of art galleries. In the past, she said she has focused on mostly doing commissioned artwork.
“Showing in general and gallery representation is something I’m trying to break into now,” she said.
Young may be new to galleries, but she is not new to art. Young described herself as someone who always had a keen eye for shadows and colors, even when she was child.
Heading into college, Young decided she wanted to turn her talent for art into a profession. She went to The Savannah College of Art and Design and earned a bachelor’s degree. Today, she does rendering for an architectural design firm.
For many years, Young’s artwork focused mostly on paintings, murals and illustration. However, the library gallery doesn’t have any of those works. This gallery instead focuses on photography, an area of art Young has only recently dabbled in.
It was four years ago when Young became a mother for the first time. With the responsibilities of parenthood taking away from some of the time Young had for art, she looked toward a less time-consuming medium.
“As a new mother, I found it difficult to find the time to spend with (her son) and capture things in a way that I used to be able to,” Young said. “So after he was born, I shifted into photography.”
Young said her eye for lighting, shadows and colors she possesses with her paintings and illustration work allowed her to make the transition to photography. She credits her mother for giving her such a well-trained natural eye.
“My mother did a lot of photography,” Young said. “It was something she gave me an eye for.”
The photos in Young’s library gallery may look familiar to some. Young took photos of well-known places and events around the South Jersey and Philadelphia region.
“There’s a couple shots at Kirby’s Mill, some of the 2015 P-Rade at Princeton University and a couple in Philadelphia,” Young said.
Young said there is a bit of nervousness about displaying her work for the first time, mainly because she wants the public to enjoy her work. However, she received some positive reviews and interest earlier in July, when she was hanging her work in advance of the gallery’s opening.
“While I was hanging some pieces, two of the library patrons talked to me about it,” she said. “I do think the people in the library enjoy these exhibits. It’s almost part of the fun to get different people’s perspective and see what they think about it.”
Young is planning to use the library gallery a springboard into doing more gallery work in the future.
“I’ve done work from Georgia to Maine, a lot of small murals and paintings,” Young said.
“But I’m looking to get some grants in the future. They like to see some gallery representation, and I thought this is a great way to start.”
All of Young’s photography on display at the library is for sale. To contact Young, email [email protected] or call (609) 685–8101.
