On View Magazine Fall 2015 | Page 112

FOREVER YOUNG: A Retrospective Below (left to right): Buster-Jangle; Crossroads; Redwing; Tumbler-Snapper; and Wigwam from the series Dreamland, California, 2015; Oil and pigments on linen. 112 OnV i e w Ma g a z i n e . ern England,” Russell Young spent his first few months in foster care before being adopted by Ken and Lesley Young. As a child, he considered his world to be dark. He disliked school and often skipped class. He enjoyed punk music and watching soccer matches. He also developed a fascination with American culture and was drawn to the quintessential “American Dream,” which he thought represented freedom and possibility. Young eventually devel- c om • O c t o b e r /D e c e m b e r oped an interest in photography and studied photography, film, and graphic design at the Chester Art College. He continued his education at Exeter Art College before moving to London, where he met photographer, Christos Raftopoulos, who offered him a job as his assistant. Raftopoulos also encouraged Russell to branch out on his own and in 1986, Young’s professional career took off with an assignment to shoot George Michael for the album cover of Michael’s 2015