Aberdeen born artist Emily Moore has garnered a series of awards and accolades for her paintings, collages, prints, and installations. Educated at both Edinburgh College of Art and Massachusetts College of Art and Design, she’s exhibited widely, with her work forming part of NHS Lothian and British Airways collections. Intrigued by the patterns and forms found within mountainous environments and the contrasting architectural structures which inhabit them, her unique and refreshing paintings attempt to explore the rigidity between these two conflicting themes, imposing a balance within the final composition. It was a pleasure to speak to Emily to discuss her work and future plans.
Emily, thanks for taking the time to speak to us about your amazing work. How and when did you decide to fully embrace art as a career?
No problem, thanks for the invitation. I think it was a few years after graduating that I decided to focus fully on painting. I’d worked a couple of unpaid art-related jobs or ‘internships’ as they’re sometimes worded, which was enough to put me off pursuing another career in the arts. I’d waitressed part-time since graduating and also worked as a support worker and gallery technician, up until the year before my debut-solo exhibition, when I resigned to focus on preparing for the show. I would have liked to keep the technician job but unfortunately, the company was I working for no longer needed us.
Which artist has been the most influential on your career and why?
I don’t think I could pick out any one artist as being the most influential. During art school, I was looking at a huge number of artists from painters, photographers, and also architects, who no doubt all had an impact on my practice. I think that’s what we do as artists; absorb what is around us and reprocess it in our own visual language. If I had to pick some artists in particular, I’d say Toby Paterson, Gary Hume, Agnes Martin, Peter Doig, Ben Nicholson, Ingrid Calame, David Thorpe.
Your work reflects an interest in formations within mountainous settings, paying particular attention to how they contrast with neighboring modern architectural designs. What drew you to this particular theme?
I think a lot of influence came from my winter seasons: after leaving school I spent six winter seasons snowboarding in France and California which had a lasting impact. My first two seasons, in particular, were spent living in these 1960s concrete, purpose-built resorts in the Alps. It’s such a striking environment: huge man-made structures in contrast with the stark, mountainous landscape.
I’m drawn to your 2019 Gullfjoll series. I’m moved by the vastness, scale, detail, and ability to examine each piece differently each time you view them. Please tell us more about this project.
I hadn’t planned to make the Gullfjoll series. At the time I’d been wanting to move on to a completely new body of work but wasn’t feeling particularly inspired and was struggling for new source material. Following on from my solo show at the end of 2018, I’d been continuing to make some large mountain pieces. Mountains will always hold an allure, and also, I just enjoy painting them. I used to worry about making paintings that were too similar but now I try to go with the flow and not question what I’m painting too much.
The Gullfjoll series in particular was really enjoyable to make. I was continuing to explore combining painterly, abstract layers with the precise, detailed snow patterns. I always start with the abstract layer which I then cover with masking tape before drawing the mountain outline. After the mountain is cut out, I spend a long time building up the faded sky. The process of making them is really satisfying, I love peeling off the masking tape at the end, revealing the mountain. Each piece has a linear circle, finished with gold leaf. I’d only recently started experimenting with leaf it, but I really enjoy working with it and find it adds another dimension to the work.
Boston Springs is another series of work that catches my eye and reminds me of the many architectural events and exhibitions I attended during my time with the RIBA. Please tell us more about this project.
I made this series during my exchange at Massachusetts College of Art and Design at the end of my third year. I had been looking at a lot of old lidos and open-air swimming pools at the beginning of the semester which led me back to looking at the pools and Mid-Century Modern Architecture in Palm Springs. I visited there briefly at the end of my last snowboard season in 2008 and, like a lot of people, loved the aesthetic.
Can you share with us your creative process and your choice of materials?
Photographs, taken to record my travels and experiences, are often the starting point for my paintings. Each body of work is a documentation of those experiences, the creative process allowing me to recall each place and combine them to create new, anonymous landscapes. Sometimes I’ll start with a building, other times it will be a mountain or some abstract marks. From there I’ll continue adding more layers until I think the painting is finished.
The physical act of creating a piece, the surface, and materials, has always been an important part of my practice. I work directly onto birch plywood panels, often leaving areas of the raw wood exposed. I experimented with screenprinting a lot during art school and since then have developed my own process, using masking tape and a scalpel to create the layered, tonal images. I often use an overhead projector for the intricate, detailed images, which are then drawn and cut-out by hand. Quite a laborious process but it allows me to combine precise, detailed layers over the rough, painterly ones.
The materials I typically use are acrylic, gesso, graphite pencil, enamel, and varnish. I always work using acrylic mixed with gesso as I prefer the surface quality of the paint and it’s a lot easier to sand down, without the plastic finish you often get with acrylic paint. In contrast, I like to use gloss enamel or varnish on the final layers of a piece. There’s something about a high sheen finish I just love!
Since graduating, you’ve exhibited widely, winning the Royal Academy Guthrie Award in 2018, Rise Art Painter of the Year (2018), and Zealous Emerge Art finalist. To date, what has been your most satisfying achievement, and why?
It was really gratifying to see the work I made for my debut solo show installed in the gallery space. It was the first opportunity I’d had since art school to focus fully on my practice and it made a huge difference to my work. I made over fifty new pieces and having that intense period of creating really helped push my work forward.
To date, what would you say have been your biggest challenges as an artist?
One of the biggest challenges has been to maintain confidence in my work and not let rejections or sales impact my practice. It’s easy for doubt to creep in, especially when comparing yourself with others. I find I almost need to put blinkers on to refocus myself back onto my work.
What advice would you give to young artists embarking on their careers?
The most important thing is making the work. If you’ve just graduated from art school it can often seem difficult trying to juggle studio time with another job and your social life but find time for your art where you can, even if it’s just a few hours here and there.
Keep a lookout for artist opportunities/exhibitions and apply for as many as possible. I’d recommend subscribing to an email list to keep you updated, there are lots out there.
Try not to compare yourself with others. I’m still guilty of doing it and it’s not helpful. No one’s art or career path is comparable so it’s entirely pointless and will often leave you feeling disheartened.
What are you currently working on?
At the moment I’m working on a large 100 x 200cm commission which will be part of a contemporary landscape collection. I was really flattered to be asked as there’s a great selection of other artists participating. My studio complex was closed for two months during Lockdown, so I’ve been catching up on lost time. I have another commission to complete after this and then I’m hoping to start on a new body of work in preparation for my solo exhibition at the &Gallery (https://andgallery.co.uk) next year. It was originally scheduled for this October but, like a lot of things this year, it’s been postponed.
Where can our readers find out more about you?
Follow me on Instagram for the most recent updates: https://www.instagram.com/emilymooreart/ and also check out my website: http://emilymooreart.com Thanks for reading! 🙂
Artwork:
Boston works on paper019
Svømmestadion 76 x 102cm Gesso, acrylic, graphite, varnish on panel
In His Blue Gardens 122 x 100cm Acrylic and gesso on panel
Photographs :Studio Shot by Magda Krutysza (Main) and Katie Pritchard
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