People : Richard Young

Specializing in installation pieces , the average size of Young ’ s acrylic paintings measure five-feet by five-feet . “ I painted what we call color field paintings--the whole piece is painted and sprayed with a color . I used a spray gun and sprayed the whole piece so it was even and I laid geometric pieces onto the top of it …. I also did three dimensional pieces ,” said Young .

Richard ’ s next idea incorporated his artistic side : the addition of neon signs . “ In those days the only people that could do neon signs were in San Jose . Maybe for about ten years we offered a service that nobody offered ,” Young said .

As for the future of the family business , Young says he ’ ll keep it open . “ It gives me a place to go and even if a sign never comes in , I ’ ll have a place to do some art ,” he said . “ It ’ s my home away from home .”

His art , which incorporates the use of acrylics , watercolors , wood , Lucite and neon drew attention in the art world . Just after graduating from college Young was offered a showing at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art . “ I was just excited to have my piece there ,” said Young . That exposure led to additional showings at the Monterey , San Jose , and Sacramento Museums .

While continuing to pursue his artistic endeavors , Young worked alongside his father and accepted a part-time teaching position at Gavilan College . A job he thoroughly enjoyed because it gave him the opportunity to share his love of art with his students . Local artist JoAnne Perez Robinson is a past student of Young ’ s . “ He got me into watercolor and gave me a lot of positive critiques and feedback ,” she said .“ I met my husband at one of his classes . I want to thank Richard because I have a great husband because of him .”

After securing his master ’ s degree , Young was offered a fulltime teaching position at Gavilan , but before he could accept , his father requested he take over the family business . “ Well , when it ’ s your parent ’ s company that was started in 1934 , there wasn ’ t much of a choice ,” Young said .

Embracing his new position Young expanded the business to include billboards . “ The highway ran right through Gilroy and my dad knew a lot of farmers , and they had places where they turned their tractors around near the highway ,” explained Young . The company leased the round-about , constructed billboards , then rented the billboards to Ford Motor company and General Motors , creating a sizable profit for the local business .