When Salt Studio co-owner Kelly Starbuck warned Los Angeles photographer Austin Young of some of her clientele’s conservative art taste, he replied, “It’s good to understand the audience. I like to push them of course.”

“Portraits” opens at the Gallery at SALT Studio, 805 N. Fourth St., with a public reception 6 to 9 p.m. April 25, in coordination with Fourth Friday Gallery Nights, a self-guided tour through downtown Wilmington’s studios and art spaces.  Young creates honest representations of his subjects in vivid and somewhat controversial portraits that transcend distinctions between fashion and gender with stunning, computer-enhanced color.

“A portrait is really about being in the moment with the subject,” Young writes in his artist statement.  “I want the sitter to feel absolutely present and vulnerable. I want to capture their spirit in this state. I hope this comes across in my work. I’m a visual person. I really look at someone when I take their portrait and then I meditate on their spirit while I’m working on the image. I think my portraits seem very simple and effortless but yet reveal the complexity of the subject. I consider my work to be emotional. It is an emotional connection to the subject.”

“Portraits” runs through May 17.