Robert Moore’s father wanted him to pursue a career in law but he was an outdoorsman and after a stint in pre-law he knew he wanted to be out in nature where he could hunt and fish. He thought he could make a living as a painter. He survived the lean years as a “starving artist” as a single man. As his career advanced, he married his wife Rebecca and they have six children. He is close to nature, he paints and, in 2012, he received the Governor’s Award for the state of Idaho for Excellence in the Arts.
Resplendence, oil on canvas, 30 x 40 in.
He has said, “Born by the Snake River on an Idaho farm, I discovered my artistic voice. From teaching credentials to ArtCenter College of Design, my journey reflects gratitude and faith.” Moore and his family now live only a few miles from his childhood home, where he paints often large-scale paintings and conducts workshops that “bring artists together from across the U.S. for five days of painting, instruction, demonstrations and critiques.”
Resonance, oil on canvas, 36 x 24 in.
At ArtCenter, a culture shock for the farm boy from Idaho, he took classes with Dan McCaw. “McCaw focused on design and harmonies,” Moore explains. “He taught me about freedom in my work, as well as control. He also taught me about color, values, edges and surface.” McCaw has commented, “Creativity lays in uncertainty if you allow that the solution can be anything. I trust intuition, instinct and feelings above everything else. It’s not the desire for perfection, but the liberation of the imagination, and expanding the capacity for creativity.”
Moore has expanded his capacity for creativity by overcoming his colorblindness to create richly colored evocations of the landscape. He sees all colors in shades of yellow and blue. Since he can’t replicate the colors of nature, he has developed an impressionist style of harmonies within value ranges and a simplification of masses.
Transformation, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 in.
Playing basketball, he broke his dominant left wrist and taught himself to write and paint with his right hand. When he healed, he found he was ambidextrous and now paints with painting implements in both hands. His studio assistant lays out the colors on his large glass palette in a precise, predetermined order. One of the joys of experiencing his paintings is viewing the scene from afar with its impression of depth and getting up close to see the variety of unexpected colors that make up its forms.
His paintings of snow scenes such as Winter Warmth are lessons in what we don’t see—that snow, for instance, isn’t white but reflective of its surroundings and painted here predominantly in blues and purple.
Winter Warmth, oil on canvas, 36 x 36 in.
His latest work will be shown in the exhibition Step by Step at Altamira Fine Art in Scottsdale, Arizona, February 10 through 21.
Gallery owner Jason Williams comments, “Robert Moore paints with a sense of urgency and reverence, capturing the Western landscape at its most alive. His bold palette-knife technique, built from decades of mastery, transforms stands of aspens, meadows and canyons into living symphonies of color and texture. Every stroke feels intentional, an imprint of light, season and emotion layered into the surface of the canvas.
Abundance, oil on canvas, 24 x 48 in.
“What sets Robert apart is his ability to balance structure with spontaneity. His compositions are architecturally sound, yet his surfaces vibrate with energy, as if the landscape itself is expanding outward. Robert doesn’t just depict nature he immerses the viewer in it, inviting us to feel the temperature of the air, the hum of the forest, the shifting brilliance of autumn or spring.”
Moore often expresses his gratitude to McCaw and to the gallery owners, staff and collectors who have made it possible for him to raise a family and to pursue his art.
Autumn Colors, oil on canvas, 36 x 48 in.
He is also grateful for the variety of creation and its creator. The first thing in the morning, he goes for a two-hour hike to pray and sometimes to listen to scripture or to contemplate passages in the Bible, much of which he knows by heart. “When I have an idea for a painting,” he says, “I examine it, even if it’s a great idea, to determine if it’s self-serving or if it’s one that can accomplish the goal of God’s work.” Recalling growing up on the farm he says, “Working in the fields I was part of creation and it was part of me.” —
Altamira Fine Art 7038 E. Main Street • Scottsdale, AZ 85251 (480) 949-1256 • www.altamiraart.com
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