Michael Moore Artist
Growing up as a curious loner, too shy to actively engage socially, I became an observer of all manner of human interaction as well as the environment surrounding me. This fascination led me to express myself visually more than verbally. So despite being highly successful academically, I determined to become an artist. That was after my first serious fascination with architecture.
After taking a sabbatical following my A levels, I became interested in helping children. I found I could understand them and engage in their world. And so began a career in primary school education. This eventually led me from being a teacher to a headteacher and finally local authority advisor. However, this career success led to my painting less and less and eventually stopping.
Nevertheless, after an hiatus of 30 years, I have now been painting full-time again since 2020. I therefore consider myself an ‘emerging artist’ despite my age!
My paintings now combine my two teenage vocational interests - art and architecture. This was not a conscious decision but rather emerged as I sought ideas that fascinated me.
Recent Exhibitions:
October 2020 ‘Afraid of the Art’ Sandbar Art Studio, Texas
April 2021 Art in Solitude: An online exhibition at Naschta Gallery
April 2022 Open Exhibition Yellow Edge Gallery
May 2022 ‘Waterborne’ exhibition - Bloqs, Enfield, London
June 2022 “Eye on Galway” exhibition, Galway, Ireland
July 2022 Southampton Biennial Open, “What does culture mean to you?”
Sept 2022 Autumn Fields, Yellow Edge Gosport
2023
Feb 2023. Raymond James, London - Little Van Gogh Touring Exhibition
May 2023 EY, Reading - Little Van Gogh Touring exhibition.
June 2023 Lacuna international art festival, “Metamorphosis”, Canary Islands
July 2023 “Sizzle”, open art show, Yellow Edge Gallery
July 2023 Hewlett Packard, Winnersh Triangle. LVG Touring Exhibition
August 2023 “Through The Looking Glass”, Mall Galleries London
October 2023 Hewlett Packard, London.
Nov2023. ‘Unbound Perspectives’, West Kensington, London
Dec 2023 Guildford House Open
2024
Dec’23-Feb’24 Little Van Gogh, 21, Grosvenor Place, London (10 paintings)
February 2024 ‘Arches’, The Holy Art, London
February 2024 8th Annual Cityscapes Exhibtion, Fusion Art (online Exhibtion)
June 2024. URBANe Solo Exhibtion, The Box Gallery, Southsea
Awards:
January 2023 Series 8, heat 5 of Sky Arts, Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 (top 42 of over 2000)
July 2023 VAA Professional artist of the year long list (60 of 1100)
November 2023 King Lear Art Prize shortlist (top 6 of over 1700)
February 2024 artistic excellence award, Fusion Art Cityscape Exhibtion
Commissions:
Jan 2023 Neil Douglas (“A Small Moment”, acrylic on canvas)
June 2023 Rosie & Eric Newport (“Where Can The Horizon Lie?”, acrylic on canvas)
August 2023 Sam Boys - Group portrait, oil on canvas
February 2024 Alex Steiner - 4 small paintings
Collections:
Texas, USA - 3 paintings in private collection
Marseilles, France - private collection
UK - several private collections
Residencies:
May 2023 3 Workshops for primary aged pupils on observation and drawing.
August 2023 Runner up for LVG residency opportunity
Sept/Oct 23 2 Arts Council funded workshops on painting and drawing
August 2024. LVG Residency, New Forest, Hampshire
Membership:
From January 2023 VAA (Visual Artist’s’ Association)
Publications:
October 2020 ‘Artfully Awkward’ podcast interview
2021 The Perspective Project Artist Interview
https://www.theperspectiveproject.co.uk/michael-moore
2022 Eye On Galway catalogue
2022 Phlow art community ‘featured artist’ interview
https://app.phlow.com/users/wbJZV86EgkKEN1RpPx/blogs/4zZR0bER2a0EJlGQM8
January 2023 Series 8, heat 5 of Sky Arts, Landscape Artist of the Year 2023 TV episode (available on Vimeo)
The city has always held a fascination for me. In representing my experiences of ‘being’ in a location, both physically, emotionally and intellectually, my paintings nevertheless have their own reality and are not merely an illustrative mimicking of the visually, perceptible world around us.
My paintings explore what is real or accurate in our perception and what is simply imagined. These city reflections also act as a metaphor for painting itself, because they are on and through the surface at the same time.
Like all paintings, mine are essentially metaphysical and speculative. The actual place remains what it is, often barely registered, inconsequential, invisible. But the paintings supersede the place, become a new reality, and despite appearances, bear only a tenuous relation to its original depicted location.
They are equally an appropriate visual metaphor for ‘self-reflection’. I love the idea of reflections being like our thoughts; sometimes distorted and confusing, but always intriguing and fascinating; made of multiple perspectives combined to form a peculiar orderliness.
The depiction of one set of reflections, captures a particular, fleeting, moment in time. This captured moment is intended to be tranquil, unlike the cities from where the images are born.
Just as a science fiction film can draw you in and be engrossing and believable while bearing no relation our own actual reality, I want my paintings to represent a believable space, but not one that simply mimics reality.
