We offered a house swap for two weeks with friends living outside of Tucson. They couldn’t get away away but knew of another party with an empty house and willingness to share. We contacted them and it all came together.

Out for a walk above the valley of the beautiful Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson.

The Saguaro only grow in Arizona, that and Mexico as the Sonoran Desert extends far south.

They call it a desert but abundant in vegetation. This is the neighborhood we were in, dotted with residences, maybe occupied, all on dirt roads. I took walks daily, actually multiple, loving it all.

We rearranged furniture and turned the main room into a studio. Here’s Anne at her press, preparing some creative addition to a work in progress.

Space won’t allow showing the many pieces she worked on, generally scattered around the house for drying. None of these shown are finished but will receive further touches another day.  It’s her way.

Across the room was my work space. Working in both acrylic and oil, I cut canvas from a roll and focused mostly on medium-large works, corresponding to the size of the backboard which we brought in the van.

Cowboys was one of my themes, and why not, being in the west?

A nearly life size portrait in progress, this canvas taped to a wall for “easel.”

The mountains at sunset really were almost this color one evening. Ever changing, I couldn’t take enough photos. Some turned into paintings and others likely will.

As I’d finish each I’d tape it to a wall for drying and to free up the easel for the next.

Heading home and back to normal life. Of course for us, normal life includes living this way, making art, taking in beauty where we find it, and sometimes traveling to new places.

Thanks for coming with us.

We’re grateful for all things.

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Biola University in La Mirada, California commissioned me to make a painting. It was part of their “Malcomb Initiative,” a fund contributed by an art-loving alumni by that name, to foster both art and missions at the school. Check out my short video unveiling the painting.

The first challenge was to conceive how to paint something conceptual when my paintings are generally more concrete, of “things.”

My mind went to “faces,” always good conveyors of emotions and of what might be going on in the mind. Here’s how my thinking began, roughed out in pencil.

I went with an abstract background, and a triptych (a single painting on three canvases), a logical solution what with three-part statement being conveyed.

A close up of the background texture.

I first worked with the canvas on the floor, walking around it, throwing paint, my shoes taking on the look of the canvas in the process.

A close up of the first section.

The middle section.

The final section.

The painting’s title: “Micah 6:8,”mixed media (acrylic and oil), 30 tall by 72 inches wide, shown here butted together . . . the final hanging will have an inch or two gap between the canvases.

As many are familiar, the full Biblical reference reads: “What does the Lord require of you but to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before your God.”

A good reminder for all.

God bless us everyone.

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This last weekend found us at the beautiful Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, California with alumni and supporters of Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri. My part was to make a painting as they met.

Here it is finished, an appropriate image for their theme, “Surge,” as the university moves ahead with student enrollment and enhancements in their many programs.

A creative element with this one with the inclusion of signatures of all participants early in the process.

Adding their signatures was something everyone enjoyed though the challenge for me was to preserve them.

Here it is at near completion, ultimately to hang somewhere on the campus in Springfield, Missouri.

A view down the coast, looking out from the resort.  This time we didn’t have to travel far, our living just to the south, about where that last bluff appears in the distance.

All guests received a matted print which Anne and I assembles for everyone to take home. All were grateful.

As were we.  Just to be part of it.

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My calendar says it’s “Easter Monday.”  That’s a new one for me, but why not extend the most significant holiday there is? I didn’t make this new painting with that specifically in mind, but it fits.

A pastor friend suggested I paint Jesus after his resurrection. “How would I do that?” I asked. He said, “Maybe in the garden.” So I did, the moment Mary encountered him. Never expecting, she thought he was the gardener . . . until he said her name. That’s the moment I painted.
I call it, “Not the Gardener.”

The original may be spoken for, but it’s available in print.

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Greetings friends, it’s January, always a good time for a little reflection. Though painting is not the only thing going on in my life, nor the most important, it’s one of the areas I can count.

I’m happy to report that in 2023, 110 paintings went out the door. Most were sold, some were gifts. I’m always grateful for both.

As for the revenue, I’ll just say I’m satisfied. Even blessed.

Regarding production, I made 99 paintings, large and small (none very small, and some very large). That averages out to over eight per month, almost two per week.

Actually I thought I was more productive than that, but A-Fib had me dead on the couch the whole month of June! I couldn’t even lift a brush, and the studio was a distant planet. 

This year I also completed my three-part memoir, “The Rear View Mirror.” Though I keep thinking of other things I could have added, I’m satisfied I’ve said everything important I wanted to relate (and some unimportant). People reading them say they’re good. 

In September I entered my 80th year! Though I plan on many more, it doesn’t take binoculars to see a horizon from here. The goals I’m setting for myself now are more, shall we say, metaphysical.

But I expect to keep painting, probably as much, with aims for always better.

I’m grateful for friends, like you, reading this. I’m always glad to hear back from you. 

Enjoy the review.  You might want to get a coffee.  But, hey, it’s been a full year.

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JANUARY

At the beginning of last year I made a one-copy-only book of the previous year’s production. I did it the two years before, too. Haven’t got around to doing it for 2023 . . . we’ll see if I do.

I finished and delivered a 29-painting commission for a special event held in Guatemala. Recipients were those contributing to Bible translation, the paintings matching their particular interests. I’m told it was a great success and a very meaningful gift.

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FEBRUARY

I ran a creative contest online, mainly Facebook and Instagram, challenging people to guess how many paint-tube caps in the jar. To enter, participants supplied a photo of some blank wall in their house that could use a painting.  The prize would be an original painting. Many entered; the closest won.

The winner received this beautiful painting.  I gave her a choice of two, and, her living fairly near, delivered it to her home. Looks beautiful on her formerly blank wall.  Everybody happy.

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MARCH

It was still winter when we traveled to the Trinity River area of northern California for two weeks of art making. It’s something we do twice a year, somewhere. We’d been to this location, Big Flat (population, 78) a couple times before, loving it always.

The set-up space was small but adequate. We bring Anne’s press and all the paraphernalia. I bring a bolt of canvas and cut what I need. That big board on my easel is something I found on the property. (The Lord always provides.)

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APRIL

Thinking the Los Angeles Mission might enjoy an array of paintings for their halls honoring some of the homeless people they serve, I made two as gifts. We’ll see if the larger vision ever comes to pass; in the meantime, here’s the day I delivered them. I’m told they’re well appreciated.

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APRIL (continued)

After many sketches and a number of meetings with the arts committee in San Juan Capistrano, I created three large paintings to be displayed in the historic Aguilar Adobe in that city. Approval is still pending for their outdoor use, but they’re being shown inside.

One day I had the conviction that too many substandard paintings are accumulating in my storeroom.  So, this was that day’s solution. I expect the neighbors wondered about all the chimney smoke, having no idea it was art.

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MAY

Another project that required turning that garage into a studio (there were three last year) here is the finish day of a 19-ft. depiction of “The Sower” commissioned by Biola University.

I delivered the painting rolled up and stretched it on bars made by the university’s maintenance staff. Here we are, Anne and me and a student volunteer, stretching the canvas on location. It’s now hanging in a large banquet room along with half a dozen other works of mine, some also large, procured by them over time.

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JUNE

As a major surprise, for a month I lost all energy. All I could to was take naps.  I’d wake and take another one, but never restored. Finally I was diagnosed with A-Fib, irregular heart beat.

Happily I received occasional visits from friends, and all manner of support on Facebook where I kept friends up to date with my (non)progress. Here I am trying to put the best face on things.

It turned out, Anne had it, too, though manifesting in a different way. Amazingly, we were both diagnosed with it on the same day, establishing some sort of record. (Doing everything together?)  Finally, we were treated with a cardio-conversion procedure, which snapped me back to right immediately.  Anne’s didn’t take, but has received relief with medication.  We’re both doing fine now.

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JULY

Back to work, the first thing I did after my month on the couch was to head back to Biola and do some embellishing on their full-size (20 ft.) giclee print of my famous Last Supper.

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JULY (continued)

Once again, for the whole summer Anne was featured at the Laguna Festival of Arts, for the twelfth year! That’s her smaller press, the one we travel with, as part of the display, providing some orientation for guests on how her art is made. Oh, and those pants are of her art, too.

Anne was also honored last year with enlarged versions of her art as part of the festival’s outdoor display. T-shirts were also produced and on sale in the gift store featuring her art. People loved it.

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JULY (still continued)

A third large project for the garage studio was a piece commissioned by Muldoon Community Church in Anchorage. By now they have a dozen or so of my works, most of them large. For this they wanted representatives from five nations with whom they’re involved. It was my choice to depict children, and which children. Here’s the charcoal stage, the background color already on.

Here’s the painting almost completed. Featured is an Australian Aborigine, a girl from Burkina Faso, one from India, an Alaskan Inuit, and a tribal girl from Thailand. I shipped it rolled up.

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AUGUST

One morning, out of the blue, I received an email from an architect in Prague that I’d worked with once before, then for a project in Florida. On a long shot, she was asking if I could make a painting of a cross, abstract, in beige colors, 48 inches square, and contribute it for free.  She would need it in a week!  At first I thought, “What?” Then I remembered I had something like that, produced on spec a couple years earlier. I located it; it looked like might work.  When I measured it, it was 48 inches square. Incredible!

Suffice to say, I sent it and they loved it. Here’s the wall they were planning to put the painting on (then still thinking it might be a horizontal piece).

The whole story was quite amazing, and of course, they’re grateful.

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AUGUST (still)

This year saw the completion of my three-part memoir, The Rear View Mirror. The last one, “Art Takes Over,” and the final edits on the others, were completed by September 1, always my date for completing or starting things. (My birthday is my personal fiscal year.)  Each volume is over 200 pages of great reading (of course), complete with photos.  Available on this website and on Amazon, $12.00, cheap!

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SEPTEMBER

As mentioned, 2023 was a birthday year, my 80th, illustrated here by leaves, mature with age, where we were in Santa Barbara. Symbolic?  Maybe. And maybe there’s still plenty of color ahead. I’m optimistic.

The beginnings of fall inaugurated a season fuller than most, with five public painting events, visits to our children and grands in Grand Rapids, Nashville and northern California–as well as travels elsewhere. Pictured here is the beach at Amelia Island, Florida, where we went to do a public painting.

In this one, for International Cooperating Ministries, as a creative departure we glued cut pieces of African fabric on the canvas. Event guests also participated in this, making it a fun project for all. Actually, Anne did the lion’s share of the work.

As normal for these, we made small prints of the finished work and assembled them into precut mats to give as take-away gifts for all who attended (and helped make the art).

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SEPTEMBER (continued)

Just a week after the event in Florida we participated in another in Southern California, at “The Montage,” in our neighborhood. This one was for Wycliffe Bible Translators, an organization we served for 32 years–in many places and many capacities, even for five years, me being its president. But this was the first time we’ve participated in one of their events and made a public painting. It was an honor.

This time it was participants’ thumb prints that became part of the art.

The final result. The painting itself will hang in the headquarters office in Orlando.

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OCTOBER

Then, another, also local, this a one-evening event for Hope International, an organization that supplies micro-loans in third-world communities. In this case, having only a few hours, I did three-quarters of the painting in advance.

Paraguay being in focus for this event, I researched and found a Paraguayan folk dancer. The painting was auctioned that evening for a good price. It was my contribution.

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OCTOBER (continued)

As a last minute idea I was invited to Alaska for a long weekend to be part of the unveiling of the large painting I had made for them in my garage. Here I am arriving in the Anchorage airport (after being stuck most of the day with in-transit delays in Seattle).

The presentation of the painting at an evening gathering.  It now hangs in the church with about ten other of my pieces.  Another “gallery.”  A full size print of the painting is going to a sister church in Burkina Faso, Africa.

As an extra, I remembered that the now retiring pastor had always thought of having a painting of Anchorage itself.  But nothing ever happened with the idea. So, thinking it was now or never, I made such a painting and surprised them with it. It’s their city, and they love the painting. It was my gift.

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NOVEMBER

Another event, this time at “The Cloister” in Sea Island, Georgia for Seed Company. It’s always a privilege  to be in these places, and with such people, committed Christians, often of means . . . to really make things happen.

Once again, it was thumb prints that helped the painting along. I’d selected the image and done the drawing at home, finishing it out on location set up in the back of the meeting ballroom during the event.

Being in the room where it all happens, Anne and I also get be part of it, hearing the inspiring content, stopping to watch the moving videos, and interacting with all the guests throughout the weekend.  It’s always great.

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NOVEMBER (continued)

For our second art making hiatus of 2023, we went to Swan Valley, Idaho. Always very special, it was our fifth time there.

With lots of room to move, we set up our respective studios and were there two weeks, before having to get back home to travel again.

The owner of the “cabin” requested a painting of his barn. Here’s how it looked on Thanksgiving Day, a holiday we celebrated simply and by ourselves. Very lovely.  (And cold.)

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DECEMBER

Almost as soon as we got home from Idaho we flew off to Florida again. Here’s a sunset stop-over in Austin.

We were at the Wyndham in Orlando, along with staff of Seed Company, an organization I’ve painted for many times. We even worked with them for a couple of years way back.

Being for a different organization, we used the African Dancers motif again, and again applied it with African fabrics glued to the painting. It’ll hang in the Arlington, Texas headquarters, along with a dozen or more other of my paintings . . . something they say they love, being surrounded by so much art.

DECEMBER (continued)

Finally, one more trip, this a day’s drive to northern California to be with family for Christmas. Here’s their neighborhood outside Salinas. Besides the family time we enjoyed walks in those hills, good for exercise or, when alone, good contemplation.

Grandchildren making ginger bread houses.

One more, Anne and me on a stroll from the cabin over to the Snake River. Of all the places I’ve been this year, with her is always the best.

Thanks for reading.

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8 Comments

Friends in Anchorage commissioned me to make a big painting featuring five nationalities. When I finished and shipped it, they invited me to come to Alaska and be part of the presentation.

I suggested painting children, always winning models for a painting. With research I selected best photos to paint from.

The first step, after finding photos is the charcoal sketch. Left to right, it’s an Australian Aborigine, a girl from Burkina Faso, from India, an Alaskan Inuit, and a girl from Thailand.

The next step is stretching canvas on a big sheet of plywood constructed for the purpose (hidden here, under the canvas.

Then it was a matter of getting rid of all the canvas white, here applying fluid acrylic paint with a roller.

The canvas covered with color, I projected my initial sketch onto the canvas and charcoaled the faces again, this time to size.

A moment of evaluation of progress.

Further fine-tuning, a palette and paint ready to go, using a full side of my garage as a studio.

Here’s progress about three-quarters along. Note that it’s all about the same stage of completion, which is my way, rather than completely finishing one figure before moving onto the next.

One more thing: I was asked to include wording on the painting.  With that, the painting was complete. I took the canvas off the staples, rolled it up and shipped it to Anchorage. They then took it to a framer to get it stretched on stretcher bars. (Click on it for a large view.)

I was inited “last minute” that I would be invited to come and be part of the presentation at Muldoon Community Assembly church. By the next day the painting was hanging in their main auditorium (along with ten others large pieces of mine from earlier times–a beautiful array).

The the occasion for big painting was the retiring of the founding pastor (after 40 years). What with the painting being too large for a home, we had canvas prints made for personal use.

It was all deemed a huge success.

PS Knowing that for a long time the pastor thought a painting of their city would be wonderfully appropriate for the church, the idea came to me that this would be the time to do it. So I painted it and brought it with me–another surprise for all.

The painting, “Anchorage from the Sea,” was dropped down from the roll to the acclaim of all. It’ll be stretched and hung soon in the church.

PPS Our next show at the house is coming up November 11 and 12. Watch for more announcements about that here.

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11 Comments

Happy Labor Day. Actually I was born on Labor Day, 80 years ago. (But weren’t we all born on Labor Day . . . with all thanks to our mothers who did the work.

When I was eight I told friends I loved being eight and wanted to stay that way. After that “eight” became my favorite number.

I also like it because, turned on its side, it’s the sign of infinity, always a better age.

A friend asked what I’d like to do this year that I’ve not done. Oddly, I couldn’t think of anything. Well, maybe go to Iceland.

Looking back, it’s been full, as my three new books reveal. Finishing those, by this date, was a goal now met. I’ve said everything I have to say. At least till now. (https://www.hyattmoore.com/store/books).

(Well, my sister’s podcast added more. It’s here: https://www.hyattmoore.com/videos/interview-with-sue-donaldson)

Approaching this benchmark I’ve wondered if it would reveal some new idea for life, like Colonel Sanders coming up with a new way to do fried chicken when he was old.

Or would this life just continue with more of the same?

As it happens, both the studio and the calendar are overflowing cups. Six major painting events are in the near offing, most with distant travels. The desk is piled with projects. New paintings and new ideas keep the imagination on hum.

Moses proclaimed that the years of our lives are 70, or if there’s strength, maybe 80. Today that’s sounding a bit terminal. Ironically, he was 80 when he saw the burning bush and his life began again!

Of course my burning bush is a small fire of wick and wax on a cake, but maybe it’ll work.

He also said: “Teach us to number our days that we might apply them to wisdom.”

I asked a friend what that means and she said, “live intentionally.”

I like that, and the best I can do as I get ever-nearer to that side-ways eight.

As for goals: Like when I was eight, “No more birthdays.” I think I’ll just stay 80 from here on.

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Presenting a few paintings of a favorite theme. I even have a page on my website featuring just “Florals.”

The title here is inspired by the Biblical quote, “The grass withers, the flower fades.” Flowers die, thus, “never-lasting.” But they always come back, “ever-lasting.”

What’s more, a painting can last a very long time.

Detail of the newest one showing the rich, thick paint, a beauty in itself.

Here’s the full painting of the alstroemerias, an impressionist’s take. Still waiting for a title.

The alstroemerias in paint and actuality. The actual will fade and go away; the painting will be around for a long time.

“Consider the Lilies,” again, an impressionist’s take.

A photo in the mirror, thus everything reversed; with artist, just to show the size.

“Heightened Reality,” hanging temporarily in our home. I say “temporarily” as it’s really intended for someone else’s home, just don’t know whose yet.  It’s on my website.

“Poppies Popping” is another stunner, intended for someone. Don’t know who.  See details here.

“Silent Speaking,” another beauty, this one in red-orange with an unexpected textured gray behind.  Check details here.

“Waiting for Morning,” titled such because once the sun rises those flowers will turn, face and follow it through the day. See details here.

“Essence of Tulips,” that flower always a great theme, here treated as expressionism (more abstract). Check details here.

“Fields of Gold,” another very new piece, not even on the website yet.

Just to give an indication of size. It’s on unstretched canvas, meaning it can ship in a mailing tube, saving considerably on postage. Any framer can build the stretcher bars and stretch it.

A detail of “Fields of Gold.” Just like in nature, the closer you look, the more you see.

Another “Fields of Gold” detail.

I didn’t think I’d be sharing so many, but it’s sort of hard to stop. All these pieces are available. If there’s interest, contact me: moore@hyattmoore.com, or text at 949-290-8643. It would be great to hear from you.

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