Romona Youngquist, 1960 | Plein air painter

"My lifestyle hasn’t changed much since early childhood. I live on a little farm with my family in the middle of Oregon wine country; I still hang out in the woods with the dogs and my own kids; and I still collect a wide range of critters. When I’m not painting outside, I paint in my studio in order to keep an eye on my kids and pets, while listening to my favorite Bach, Handel and Mozart" - Romona Youngquist.

Romona Youngquist was born in 1960 in Yuba City, California, but grew up in Eastern Oklahoma. Youngquist essentially started out in life as a child of nature, spending her time exploring the woods with her dog and collecting critters. While exploring, she also studied the design and color of nature.
Youngquist recalls many times standing in a field just staring in fascination at the values of the deciduous trees against a dark Oklahoma sky before a storm, and then rushing home to draw what she had seen.

Technically self-taught, Youngquist thinks of nature as her real teacher. In 1994 she was awarded a grant from the Alaska State Council for the Arts to study with Oregon landscape painter Michael Gibbons and in the late 1990’s she studied with Michael Workman, a leading landscape painter from Utah.
Youngquist has taken their valuable lessons and strengthened her own individual style. She also admires the work of Russell Chatham, Emil Carlson, and Wolfe Kahn, especially for their commitment to the beauty of simplicity and atmosphere.
Her admiration of these painters has translated to numerous exhibitions and honors, awards and merits throughout the United States.

Youngquist likes to trick the eye, using muted colors and blurred contours painted as softly as a whisper. But in reality her canvasses are a war zone and her weapons of choice-sand paper, ends of brushes, rags and anything unconventional she can employ in battle.
She knows the skirmish is over when the painting has the power to speak directly to the viewer. When an onlooker can not resist stepping into her world full of atmosphere, mystery and a mood that takes you back to days gone by, she knows the battle has been won.
Her studio is tucked away in the lush Red Hills of Dundee Oregon, overlooking flourishing vineyards and breathtaking landscapes. Much of her inspiration comes from her surroundings-be it a weathered farmhouse, an ancient alder standing alone in resplendent autumn hues, or a muted meadow that pulls one’s thoughts to a conscious digression.
Self taught with nature as her classroom and the great masters her teachers, she knew at age four that painting would be her calling.
Today you’ll find her paintings as far away as Germany, London and downtown Manhattan.

Her works have been published in the premier art magazines including Southwest Art, American Art Collector and Art Talk.