Tim Young is a painter, an author, a potter, a nurse, a photographer, a wedding officiant, and an adoptive father. [L TO R] Summer, Tim and Raymond. | SUBMITTED
Tim Young
Art and Adoption By Eric Weicht People love the North Shore for all sorts of reasons—for the art it inspires, for its acres upon acres of wilderness, for the big water of Gitchi Gummi.
Over the decades Young has authored a number of books ranging from the sci-fi adventure series Flash Meridian, to a deep dive into his philosophy on life and art in My Hand Paints. Most recently, Young published his third book, Rear View Mirror, that, according to Young, “picks up where My Hand Paints left off. Literally, I just kept writing.”
The North Shore is distinct and, perhaps because of this, so too are the people that make up its community. Many of the people that live on the Shore have established roots that go back generations. The Tofte’s have been around long enough to have a town named after them.
In addition to his paintings of “fish in trees,” Young creates abstract works that he often accompanies with anecdotes from the moment(s) or thoughts from which they are inspired. His painting “Paljain jaloin lumessa” (Finnish for “Barefoot in the Snow”), for instance, is a different experience after reading the story that inspired it.
Others have found themselves drawn to the place more recently, perhaps out of a sense of wanderlust or an attraction to beauty. Or maybe they were just looking for a change of pace, something a little less city-like, a little less known. Which brings us to the story of Tim Young and his growing, largely adopted family, who are in so many ways a perfect example of what makes the community on the North Shore such a beautiful place to call home. Tim Young is a painter, an author, a potter, a nurse, a photographer, a wedding officiant, and an adoptive father. He has been living in Grand Marais since the mid-1980s, and has now lived in the same house for over 30 years. 16
FEBRUARY 2022
NORTHERN WILDS
“Creative outlets are important to me,” says Young. “I often describe painting as meditative. Any creative expression is therapeutic, and because of this the North Shore is the perfect place for me.” This ceramic piece by Tim is titled “Little Green Men.” | SUBMITTED
“Not only is it beautiful in every direction that you look,” continues Young, “it is a community that supports and values artists.”
“[Grand Marais] is where I belong,” says Young, “it’s where I’ve been able to make my dreams come true.”
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Young has been focusing his energy into ceramics, a “lifelong dream” of his that he has recently begun to fulfill thanks to a potter friend that lent him a wheel.
Though best known for his paintings of fish, Young’s portfolio as an artist extends well beyond the canvas.
