John Moore . . .continued from
page 1
Another of Moore's creations included
in the Museum's exhibit is a beautiful sculpture depicting a hunting
Allosaur. This piece alone took over two hundred hours from conception
to completion.
Moore's process of creation
is an involved and interactive one. "The Allosaur sculpture I created
began by my drawing all the actual armature, then taking it to a welder
to reproduce it in metal. I had to recreate the dinosaur drawing over
the armature so that he could really see what I was trying to do. A lot
of fun in sculpting for me," Moore says, "is in coming up with some ingenuity,
because not having been formally taught to sculpt, you must come up with
your own remedies to various problems you may run into."
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Moore's
extensive knowledge of animal species and their anatomies is apparent
in his work. Drawing before he could talk, Moore was readily encouraged
by his mother, who also loved to draw as a child. Moore felt always having
his pencil and paper handy was simply "second nature...something I was
just born to do."
Moore was born in Decatur,
Illinois and settled in Utah as a youngster. One of his first recollections
of his budding interest in drawing animals relates to the local Days
of '47 Parade held every year in Salt Lake City. As a young child, Moore
would sit on the curb with his drawing pad and sketch the huge horses
used in the parade as they were being readied for the festivities. Since
that time, he has indulged his preference for portraying large and powerful
animals.
In school, his teachers recognized
his propensity to observe and recreate what he saw, encouraging his
talent. Moore feels he would have pursued art regardless of encouragement:
"Having a pencil and paper is what fulfills me."
Moore
spent many evenings watching Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom
and American Sportsman on television, mentally
recording the nuances of each animal presented. Extremely perceptive,
he was continually trying to prod his schoolmates and friends to "see
what I see" regarding animal anatomy and behavior. Moore recounts watching
intently as his older brother dressed a deer in their backyard, mentally
recording how muscles and sinew connect to bone and how the skin then
fits over it all.
Moore spent many summers
in Denver as an adolescent visiting the Museum of Natural History and sketching
the stuffed, mounted animals in the dioramas there. Even then his yearning
to depict animals in action was becoming apparent.
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Moore
has also been involved in doing freelance illustration work that has
been reproduced into limited edition, signed prints sold throughout the
country at national dog shows. These pieces depict each purebred dog's
breed in their natural state, performing the original tasks they were
bred to do. Each dog's ancestry was thoroughly researched to define the
animal's purpose. His representation of a Great Pyrenees fending off
a wolf or his Bull Dog bringing down a bull typifies Moore's signature
style, although he is aware that some may find this style rather aggressive.
"I have sometimes depicted animals in the act of killing or being killed.
I draw it not because it's violent, but to me, motion is simply more interesting
than seeing something sedentary."
"Philosophically, there is no violence in nature," Moore says.
"Even if there were not two animals involved in my illustration I would
still prefer to show the animal at least running, even if it is not
running after anything - I like to capture that window of acction with
the animal."
Moore is a Field Program Manager with the Department of Animal
Control, a position he initially sought due to his interest in dogs.
Although drawing at work is not in his job description, he is known
to sketch while in staff meetings, which coworkers have just "come to
expect."
"Drawing doesn't CONSUME me," Moore explained in the confines
of his studio. "I know when to step away and take a mental break."
In his studio, he is surrounded by large-format productions
of some of his favorite pieces, stacks of National Geographic magazines,
shelves of reference and nature books and periodicals, as well as videos
and sketchbooks. An illustration of a sabre-toothed cat and a pre-historic
bison locked forever in mortal embrace sits adjacent to a large book of
one of Moore's most admired artists: Norman Rockwell.
"It really doesn't
matter -- my surroundings," he says. "I may draw alone in my studio,
or draw surrounded by my family watching TV -- although I would never
do intricate work such as an eye or drawing individual hairs without total
concentration."
"Each one of the drawings you see is a product of many small
sketches and ideas that eventually gel into the one that I want," Moore
explains. "Then I transfer that to a larger board and the pen &
ink is the final stage."
"Painting is the only
thing that occasionally stymies me," Moore states as he refers to a
color illustration. "I've envied many times an artist's ability to paint
- but never their ability to draw."
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At
Utah Technical College, Moore continued his artistic studies, graduating
with an Associates Degree in Commercial Art. "But what I really wanted
to do was animal anatomy," he explains. "Most of what I do comes from
simply feeling - from watching and observing. I don't see myself as an
amazing talent; this is just something that I've done forever."
But what an amazing talent it is!
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It is this amazing ability that has led John Moore to continue
his passion in many, quite varied venues. He has submitted his work
in the Wyoming Fish & Game Deptartment's yearly commemorative wildlife
stamp competition, has been selected as a Salt Lake City Art & Soup
participant for two years, and has been chosen to exhibit his work
in the Salt Lake City Arts Festival twice.
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Pen and
ink are his most comfortable and familiar forms of media, though he
would love to do more sculpture. "The reason sculpture is so intriguing
to me is because it is not an illusion - anytime you are putting something
on a 2-dimensional paper or canvas, you are creating an illusion that
simply LOOKS real," Moore says. "But when it's sculpture, it's palpable,
you can feel it and you must do it right from all directions."
It was this appreciation
of the physical form that led Moore into professional bodybuilding,
a "natural progression" from his passion of capturing animals' active
musculature to sculpting his own body to reflect a similar ideal. "Looking
back on my years of involvement with body building, I've concluded that
my motivation for it was that the animals I most loved to portray had
wonderful, powerful musculature - the horses and big cats. I wanted
to embody that in myself, also. I actually look at myself as a physique
artist, not a body builder."
Moore was requested to sculpt
a version of a championship trophy depicting a fully-flexed physique
to be used in body building awards the same year he won the Natural All
American Body Builder Championship himself.
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A fine
art professor at Westminster College suggested Moore approach a gallery
in Jackson, Wyoming for exhibition, and after being accepted and shown
there, Moore went on to exhibit his work in Visions Beyond Our Time Fine
Art Gallery in Denver, Colorado, as well as the Distinctive African-American
Art Gallery in Salt Lake City. He also participated in the Child of Light
Sculpture competition for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
Although Moore's degree
is in commercial art, he believes there really is no differentiation between
his varied works and "fine art. You can't say Norman Rockwell's work
wasn't 'fine art,' although he's considered a commercial artist. I don't
know where you would make that distinction," Moore says.
Apparently, the Utah Museum
of Natural History concurs. They have recently offered Moore a position
teaching animal drawing at the Museum throughout the winter, beginning
November 15th (Inquire at the museum for additional dates/times). These
classes will be tailored for the entire family and will give Moore another
opportunity to showcase his unique talent and expertise portraying the
exquisite nuances of animals.
--Lisa Oliver, 15 Bytes
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Stolen Painting . . .continued from
page 1
Anstead's studio is located on the second floor of the Broadstone Square
Building, a private office building in American Fork. He has been hanging
his artwork in the lobby and hallway since he moved into the space in May.
The building is open
during business hours, and on Monday, October 27th, some time before 3:30
pm, his painting disappeared.
Anstead tries to remain good humored about the incident: "I don't know
whether to be flattered that someone would steal my work, or wonder what
was wrong with the other pieces on display that made the thief choose not
to take them instead."
He has filed a report
with the local police, who have
said that, although
American Fork has not had many reports of art theft, they believe that most
theft is due to the drug trade. They have advised him to monitor eBay, which
is apparently the fencing method of choice these days.
Anstead's painting has
been valued at $5,000.00 It's unique characterstic is that it was entirely
finger-painted.
Anstead suggests that artists insure all artwork that hangs in an unsecure
location.
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"I appreciate my colleagues out there keeping an eye out for this piece,"
Anstead says. "I think it makes our
community of artisans that much more valuable, and this forum in particular.
I would very much appreciate hearing about those of you who have experience
in protecting your work, especially in a public place."
Artists who hang artwork
in non-secure locations might consider purchasing security hangers, suggests
Salt Lake framer Travis Tanner. These hangers, which attach directly to
the artwork, are more difficult to attach to the wall than a traditional
hook, but for that very reason they make the artwork more secure.
If you would like to
make a suggestion for hanging artwork in non-secure spaces, or relate a
story of stolen artwork, visit our Forum
Section
and leave an announcement in the Collector's Corner section.
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