SOLO EXHIBITION | JACKSON, WY
Altamira Fine Art Jackson is pleased to present a solo exhibition for Robert Moore, opening December 15.
If you would prefer a private tour of the exhibit, please contact the gallery (307) 739-4700.
NEW ARTIST DEBUT
Cool Summer Grove shows my focus on finding a variety of hues within a value mass. Instead of painting everything green, I wanted to celebrate the value of the scene by incorporating all colors, an exaggerated assortment that harmonizes within the dark foliage. The scene itself stemmed from a reference hunt I did on the Idaho-side of the Tetons. While walking through aspens, I was struck by the contrast of the grove and the stark barley field in the distance—such a perfect stage for the shadowed trunks and all the beautiful colors within the foliage.
Being colorblind, I’ve been working through color changes for 30 years. Yet, only now do I feel like I’m achieving that variety while also maintaining the strong composition of dark and light masses. A musical analogy: I could play a piece by Mozart with one finger and produce the accurate melody; however, the chords give it the richness, the harmony. It is the same thing in nature. There is a dominant hue, but also a fascinating array of colors. In nature, you can pick up a rock that might look grey, but if you look closely, 50 different variations make up that grey. Herein lies the challenge: to convey a natural progression of colors that works within the spatial depth of the painting. To not just play the piano with one finger, but rather find the variety between each note.
This direction traces back to my days at ArtCenter College of Design. Because of my color blindness, I struggled with color theory. So I took it again and again—three terms in a row—until I understood that the beauty is in the progressions of color more so than just accurately replicating a certain tone. In college, I studied under Dan McCall, who always said, ‘Don’t paint an ice cream cone the way it looks, paint it the way it tastes.’ That is what I’m most thankful for now. I can taste those relationships, the richness within the shadows and the light. I’m thankful that I have been able to achieve the rich color of his paintings. I’m thankful to God for the gifts that have been given to me and that I have been able to share with others.