Hallelujah

December 22, 2019

Hallelujah is an oil painting inspired by the Leonard Cohen verse, reflecting my relationship with Gertrude — the first person to show me deep, caring love since my fiancée’s death. She helped me begin healing from years of PTSD, only for our bond to unravel into betrayal, mirroring the song’s blend of intimacy, vulnerability, and heartbreak.

Dying In A Snowfall

February 26, 2020

Dying in a Snowfall is a watercolor capturing the quiet, haunting reality of a winter night in Dundee Falls, Ohio. Paired with its companion piece Final Embrace, it contrasts the cold stillness of that moment with the warmth of the dream I experienced as I slipped away — a meeting of beauty, grief, and surrender.

Final Embrace

February 26, 2020

Final Embrace is an oil painting inspired by a dream I had while slipping into darkness, where my late fiancée, AJ, held me in a loving, forgiving embrace. Connected to my watercolor Dying in a Snowfall, it captures not the cold surrender of death, but the warmth of a love so deep it reaches beyond it.

In The Dark

February 27, 2020

A candle’s flame becomes both literal and symbolic in In the Dark, a deeply personal work featuring the artist’s son. Bathed in warm light against a void of shadow, the boy’s focused gaze captures a quiet moment of reflection—but also survival. This piece draws from Robert Frost’s famed poem Fire and Ice, using the candle as a metaphor for the enduring fire within. Following the tragic loss of his fiancée and daughter, Young channels a promise through this painting; the flame of love, memory, and creative will shall never again be extinguished.

Fruitcake Delivery

December 22, 2020

This quaint winter scene showcases a Fruitcake delivery truck and it's driver preparing to drop off it's abundant order of 30 fruitcakes to the anxiously awaiting recipient in the blue snow covered house. A wasteful purchase that would later go on to be donated to the local food bank, with an absurd and humorous smile. The package handler's confident movements inferring that him and homeowner inside are intertwined in scandalous love affair. The calmness of the winter night should be heard in mind. It's left up to the viewer to form their own opinions of what the delivery figure may be thinking or what will transpire when the door bell rings.

Corporate Contempt

April 11, 2021

In Corporate Contempt, artist Ben Young invites the viewer into a moment of profound stillness and internal questioning. A lone figure stands motionless in a modern office, his back to us, bathed in muted light filtering through towering glass windows. The setting is familiar—an executive suite high above a city—but the emotional undercurrent is anything but routine.

One Last Walk With Izzy

July 1, 2021

One Last Walk With Izzy captures the walk I wish I’d had with my rescued Border Collie, Izzy, in her final days. Adopted alongside my late fiancée, AJ, Izzy overcame a painful past to become my constant companion after AJ's passing. In her youth, she roamed the rolling hills of Southeast Ohio by my side, but by the time I was healthy enough to walk them again, she had grown too old. This painting is my way of giving us that one last walk we never got to take.

Circus Act

May 20, 2022

A watercolor painting depicts a surreal courtroom scene where a solemn clown in red and white stripes stands at the witness stand, surrounded by grim-faced onlookers and jurors, creating a powerful contrast between absurdity and gravity.

Defeat

October 7, 2022

Defeat is a deeply personal watercolor by Ben Young, capturing the quiet, sunlit weight of falling short of a lifelong dream—making it to a National Tennis Championships, only to be unable to go when the moment finally came.

Avalanche Lilies

December 20, 2023

Avalanche Lilies is a deeply personal painting by Ben Young, created in honor of a promise he made to his late fiancée—to one day visit the blooming Avalanche Lilies on Mount Rainier together. Though she passed before they could make the trip, Ben visited the site alone, using the painting as a way to grieve, reflect, and keep that promise in spirit. This piece captures not only the beauty of the landscape, but the emotional weight of love, loss, and remembrance—offering collectors a moving tribute to enduring connection.

The Artist's Assistant

May 28, 2024

At first glance, The Artist’s Assistant appears playful—a cat wearing a watercolor cup like a crown, watching quietly in a sunlit studio. But beneath the charm lies a story of profound loss and quiet companionship. Painted after the tragic loss of his fiancée and daughter in a car accident, this piece features the artist’s cat, Princess, faithfully watching him paint through grief. The childlike drawing in the foreground reflects a lost family, a surviving son, and Izzy the dog—Princess’s late companion. Tender, layered, and deeply personal, this work is a meditation on memory, resilience, and the silent witnesses who help carry us through.

Okay Now

September 5, 2024

A quiet and powerful portrait, Okay Now reflects on aging, memory, and the tender farewells that come with the passage of time. Inspired by Ben Young’s experience working in a nursing home, the painting honors the emotional bonds he formed with residents and the quiet dignity of saying goodbye. With expressive realism and deep sensitivity, this piece invites the viewer to pause, reflect, and connect with the universal experience of letting go.

Howard's Hills

September 10, 2024

In Howard’s Hills, Ben Young captures a tender moment of his elderly father navigating the familiar hills of Appalachian Ohio—the same land where the artist was raised. Set against a quiet rural backdrop, the painting speaks to legacy, memory, and the deep connection between person and place. Both personal and universal, it reflects on aging, home, and the passage of time.

About the Artist

Ben Young is a contemporary fine artist originally from Appalachia, Ohio. Originally a Software Engineer, he began painting in watercolor and oil less than two years ago, and his work has quickly gained attention for its emotional depth and storytelling. Each piece is a personal narrative, rooted in lived experience and expressed through a sensitive, evocative style. Each piece touches on themes of loss, love, family, and resilience, often drawing from his own life, including the tragic loss of his fiancée and journey it took to overcome those emotional burdens. His paintings resonate with collectors drawn to authenticity, vulnerability, and a fresh, emerging voice in American art.

Artist Ben Young

Ready to Learn More?

If you would like to learn more about the inspiration behind this piece, explore the background story, view the creative process, and access additional details. As a thank-you, you'll receive an exclusive 20% discount on all orders and you'll be entered in monthly drawing to win a free limited reproduction.