Where you can see my work.
Exhibitions
Palazzo Ottolenghi, Corso Alfieri, Asti 13 - 29 maggio
Galleria Caruso Vicolo Zirilli, 17 Milazzo, Sicilia- 1 giugno - 1 luglio
A selection of my works are available at:
Consorzio Cocconato Via Vittorio Veneto, 1 Cocconato. Cantina di Dogliotti 1870, Via Fratelli Vicari, 70, 14054 Castagnole delle Lanze AT
Visitors to my studio are welcome by appointment
March/April Mostly Gardening and Flowers
Two months have flown by again and we are now into May. Although i said in my last newsletter that I was taking a break from mountains I couldn’t leave some paintings alone.
Here is one large - more figurative work - I have been reading a number of books on mountains including Nan Shepherd’s “The Living Mountain” and I like to use some quotes from her as titles for my paintings - and I think this one was really appropriate.
Look Creatively to See this Mass of Rock as More than Jag and Pinnacle
Here is one inspired by a sketch of the Alps west of Turin. "Rhythm in the Fluid Curve and Plunging Line of the Mountain"
And a drawing (Ink and gesso on paper) , inspired by the glaciers on Mont Blanc
The festival of San Marco on the 25th April was a great success - we had six artists showing their work, with lots of interest from visitors. I sold 4 works - so more than happy with the day.
Here are two of the works that have gone to new homes
However the gardening season has definitely started and I have been busy maintaining and planting in my garden, which of course involved some trips to my favourite nursery in nearby Casale and to the annual garden festival at Castello Massino near Biella. Tulips are one of my favourite flowers and I have been using them to make studies and loose paintings in inks. I just love their colours and forms - especially when they are going over and getting long and bendy and the flowers really open out. Here are a few examples of what I have been doing.
This one will be on exhibition at the Palazzo Ottolenghi - 13 - 29 May
These two were sold at the Fiera di San Marco
I can't resist putting in a few photographs showing the results of my labour in the garden - these will definitely appear in one form or another in some future paintings
In April I sold two paintings to clients in the UK - the first time since the Brexit trading laws have been applied. It took some research to make sure I had all the right paperwork for shipping and customs. In any case if I ship a painting out of Italy I have to have official permission to ship it (proof that it is not a Leonardo or Raffaello et al). So it can be rather time consuming. However one has arrived successfully and I have just shipped the other- so fingers crossed.
New homes in the UK for these two
I shall be participating in a mixed exhibition in the Palazzo Ottolenghi in Asti during May with three floral paintings. In a few days the Gallery owner based in Sicily will be coming to choose 10 paintings for my exhibition in Milazzo, Sicily. So I need to tidy up the studio for that visit.
In addition to all the above I started an on line course (Abstracting the Landscape) with Lewis Noble - an excellent artist based in Derbyshire. I have not had the time to do the whole course. Luckily it will be available on line for some time and I think I will start from the beginning again. But here are two of the works in progress so far. They are based on painting sketches I made on site - during which time I heard my first cuckoo this year on the 5th April
Thank you for reading my newsletter and don't forget to follow me on Instagram "JoyElaineMoore" and on Facebook -
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January/February 2022. Milan, Mountains and Flowers
Welcome to my first newsletter of 2022. It seems a bit late now to say Happy New Year!. In fact we are almost through the winter months now. I have a new wood burning stove in my studio and it has been keeping me nice and warm while I have been painting mountains and looking at the cold weather outside.
I have exhausted the Dolomite paintings for the time being and although I don’t normally frame my paintings I have had a few framed as I think that it can help to contain the image - here are 3 that have recently come back from the framers - a triptych which works on that level but also as separate paintings. I have 3 more at the framers (didn't take photos before I took them in!) plus this black and white one.
I might have exhausted the Dolomites but I am still obsessed with mountains. Looking through the many mountain sketches I made last year I found 3 that I particularly like and have started paintings based on them - they are still very much works in progress and at the moment I like the sketches more - yes I am at the phase 2 stage where I have lost the freshness of the first layers of paint and am now working through the process of getting it back again- it’s standard procedure for most painters - you just have to believe that it will happen - mostly it does! So for the time being here are the sketches only!
The Milan exhibition in which I participated opened on the 15th February - here I am seated under 2 of my paintings - I exhibited 3 floral ones - two from the Florence Biennale and the pink one in the photo. It is inspired by Rose Petals - all fallen from the flowers, making a carpet on the ground.
We stayed overnight after the private view. Our hotel was very near the church of Santa Maria della Grazie where Leonardo painted the Last Supper or I should say Il Cenacolo Vinciano. We were very lucky to get tickets straightaway and at last I have seen it. It really is incredible - so beautiful and so amazingly restored. So here it is alongside me!!
The dates for my exhibition in Sicily have been fixed - from 1st June to 1st July. I will be showing 5 mountain paintings and 5 floral paintings - the gallery owner will be coming next month to choose them - really excited. We will obviously be making a trip to Sicily for the opening and to explore some parts of Sicily that I have yet to see- including Palermo.
I have managed to get a group of artists together to show their work at the Cocconato Festa di San Marco on 25th April which I hope will be at least an annual event but also lead to more art being shown in Cocconato. So any one within travelling distance of Cocconato please put that date in your diary
I have made a couple of sales this month - a mountain painting on paper and one of my favourite floral paintings.- which has gone to one of my best clients, so will be in good company with a few siblings!
Percorso Verso l'Alto
La Profusione Rose
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November/December - Autumn Colours and of course - Mountains
Again I am compelled to write a double newsletter - late November and early December galloped on a pace and here we are at the end of the year. So I will start by saying thank you to all of you who have subscribed to my newsletter. I hope you all had a good Christmas especially in these difficult times and I wish you all a happy, and importantly, healthy New Year.
So what has been happening in the studio? At the end of October I posted a few sketches which were the beginnings of my response to the glorious autumn colours we were experiencing here in Piemonte. These led to this small series of finished works on paper. All in acrylic using palette knife, scrapers, spray and transfers.
I then returned to the mountains, - literally. At this time of the year I can see the Alps all around me - living as I do in the "armpit" of the French/Italian Alps but that is not the same as being in them. So I went up to Courmayeur with my husband for a few days at the beginning of December. I was wondering how Turner managed to get to a height above Courmayeur to make his paintings of the views looking down the Aosta Valley. However, we happened to be opposite the entrance to the SkyWay Cable Car, which I must admit I had been little fearful of trying. But we did - and I am so glad. The views were really incredible - I did actually utter the words “eat your heart out Turner”!!. It was a just marvellous to be there. On my return to the studio I had so many Dolomite paintings on the go so I haven’t yet started on any paintings directly relating to Monte Bianco - but as a taster of what might come here are a few photos - including one of us enjoying the view
As I said I am still very occupied with all the material I gathered while I was in the Dolomites. I have finished a number of small canvases - here are a few more: You can see more on my "Recent Work" page.
I have a number of other smaller canvases on the go but I am also working on a couple of 100 x 80 centimetre canvases and generally trying to scale up - which is not easy.
Regarding publicity and showing my work -
As listed above in “where you can see my work” I will be exhibiting some floral paintings with the MyMicroGallery in Milan in January - here is one of them.
After a very pleasant visit to my studio by the owner of a gallery in Sicily I will be exhibiting there some time next year.
I am beginning research to locate a prestigious location - probably in the mountains in the north of Italy to hold a large exhibition of my mountain paintings next year. So if anyone can help with that please contact me.
I belong to a business group - Business Network International and was asked to make a presentation about my work earlier this month. It went very well and I received wonderful feedback. It was the first time I have made a presentation in Italian without notes - so it meant that I took along time out of the studio preparing!
Sales have continued well in November and December- with my latest one being a painting of tulips made in 2018 which I have always loved and am so pleased to see it going to the loving home of a horticulturalist
So that is all from me this year. It has been a great year for me and I thank all my newsletter subscribers, my followers on Facebook and Instagram and all my clients. Wishing you all a very happy New Year - see you in 2022
October - Whispers and Florence Biennale
October has been dominated by my on line exhibition with the Whisper Gallery and the Florence Biennale.
There has been lots of creative publicity on Instagram with the Whisper Gallery. If you click on this link it will take you to one of the posts
https://www.instagram.com/p/CUsZcjRAEK-/?utm_medium=share_sheet
They have provided lots of interesting information not just about my work but also about the artists that have influenced me over the years. The exhibition closes on 12 November so there is still time to visit the viewing room. I am in good company as the gallery has just taken 2 Damien Hirst Prints for sale.
And so - the Biennale. I have been anticipating this since I was invited to participate in February last year. This is me having just hung my paintings and then on the opening day
It exceeded my expectations. It was a wonderful life-time experience. I met many artists from all over the world. The atmosphere was so friendly - it was like going into work every day with colleagues you have known for years. There was an incredible range of work in many disciplines and lots of events, talks, performances etc. One of the most memorable was an installation by Michelangelo Pistoletti (who was awarded the Lorenzo il Magnifico Prize for a life time's contribution to art) Small square canvases with paintings of the flags of all the countries in the world were placed by Michelangelo and all of us artists on a framework in a figure of 8. It was a wonderful unifying feeling and illustrated the overall feeling of the Biennale - peace and caring for the environment. We then all signed our names on the boxes where the paintings were originally stacked.
Vivienne Westwood was there to receive The Leonardo Da Vinci award for a life time contribution to fashion and the environment - she gave an interesting contribution to a round table discussion about art and the environment, although as it was conducted in Italian, language proved to be a barrier!
I must also add that the organisers were wonderful - so friendly and helpful. The space and the exhibits were so well done especially, as due to Covid issues, they did not know until the last minute if they were going to be allowed to open or not.
And the brilliant outcome for me was that I was approached by gallery owners from Florence and Milan and I have just signed a contract to exhibit with the Milan gallery in January next year.
And so closer to home. Earlier in the month I installed 6 works on paper (studies for my mountain series) at the Portico Restaurant in Caselle, Turin. Here are 3 of them.
Work wise I have not had a lot of time in the studio - besides taking time out for the Biennale I took several days to completely reorganise my studio - it's much more ordered now and thanks to IKEA I have a proper desk and chair which makes things like writing this much more comfortable. Most of the work I have done has been on my mountain series - which has just been depleted - see below.
This month has been excellent for sales. I sold two earlier paintings to one client - this is one of them - a favourite of mine for a while and I am very happy it is going to a good home.
A local landscape - Montiglio has gone to a friend
Four mountain paintings have just gone to one client the two on the right were practically hot off the easel
So it really has been a splendid month for me.
The recent weather seems to be celebrating that - we have had the most glorious sunny autumn days with stunning colours all over the countryside - the trees and the vineyards are bursting with colour, so I have taken a day or two off of mountains to record my feelings - here are a few of my experiments - not sure where they will go but I just had to make some kind of response to nature.
After all that’s my job!
Enjoy, and see you next month.
Remember to follow me on Instagram JoyElaineMore and on Facebook - Joy Moore Artist.
September - Exhibitions and More Mountains
Welcome to my September newsletter - and especially to my new subscribers. September has seen the beginning of a return to normality in terms of exhibiting. I had a really good weekend exhibiting during the Coccowine festival at the beginning of the month along with two other local artists - we drew quite crowd and our varied disciplines made a really interesting show for a range of visitors. It is a good outlook for the future of our CoccoArt project. I showed quite a few new paintings - mountains and landscape. My larger paintings of the Apuane mountains continue to be the favourites - although they are still in my possession! However I was really happy to have sold 4 other paintings - shown here.
Allora Prendo Tutto in un Occhiata, la Campagna
Tramonte Monferrato
Campi Arati d'Oro
Villa San Secondo dal Valle Versa
Over the same weekend I received messages for the Californian based Saatchi-on-line gallery to say that they had sold two paintings on my behalf - both seascapes - one now shipped to the States and the other to the UK.
Beach Near Oban, Scotland
Looking for Odysseus 2
From the 12th October to the 12th November the London based Whisper Gallery will be showing 10 of my paintings in an on-line exhibition.-“The Poetry of Landscape” click here to visit https://bit.ly/poetryoflandscape
For my Italian subscribers I shall be changing my permanent exhibition at the Ristorante sul Lago di Codana this week and will be installing a range of abstract flower based paintings - here is a little taster.
Rose Petals
Pink Profusion
Piemonte Wild Flowers, Spring
Thanks to a contact in a business group I belong to (BNI Global) I shall be installing a small show in the Il Portico Ristorante in the historic centre of Caselle Torinese later this month.
My major exhibiting activity this month is my participation in the Florence Biennale - 23rd to 30th October. I have already heard from a fellow artist in France that she is taking part so I look forward to seeing her and meeting many more interesting people.
Last but not least, this month I have embarked on a 6 week course with Louise Fletcher (Yorkshire based artist) The course focuses on the issues of working in a series - which is the way I always work , so very useful to see how others approach this. I have been involved in a lot of admin this month - so have not had much time in the studio other than following this course. I am continuing with my mountain theme during the course. I am aiming to express the feeling of being right up close in the mountains - to experience the weather ,the light and the fabric of the mountains. The work is very experimental at this stage, so here are just 3 of the works in progress that I am willing share at this point!.
Remember to follow me on Instagram- account name - JoyElaineMore and on Facebook - page name -Joy Moore Artist.
Thank you for reading and I hope you have enjoyed it.
July and August - Amazing Mountains
Again I am writing a double newsletter for July and August. July was very busy and then I went off to the Dolomites for a couple of weeks. So here’s what I have been up to.
I usually have some paintings on show in the restaurant at the Lago di Codana in Montiglio (not far from my home) and during July the owners commissioned a photo shoot to promote the restaurant and it’s gardens as a wedding venue. They have formed a partnership of people involved in the wedding business and asked me to join the partnership and to keep the restaurant full of my paintings. So there was a lot of selecting and framing, and there are now 23 of my works on paper and on canvas hanging there. It acts as a gallery for my work as besides being seen by all visitors to the restaurant I can take clients there to see my work.
I hung some new paintings in the Cantina of Giorgio Dogliotti in Castagnole delle Lanze and immediately sold one of the ones I took down - Shows it is good to change the paintings every now and them!
Here’s the one I sold (to an architect) - It’s an impression of the old docks in Hamburg - nothing to do with wine but it went well with the stressed black and grey walls.
I spent two weeks in the amazing Dolomites . They are just the most breathtaking mountains - I don’t know if they are unique but they are exceptional - so different from the Alps near me in the north west of Italy. I made lots of sketches and took loads of photos and made a start on sketches and paintings as soon as I got back to the studio. I am really hooked on acrylic inks and have been working with them on both paper and canvas - the way they run into each other and the way they stain the canvas is fabulous. In the end I find that I need to use paint as well on the canvases. I am trying to work in an experimental way - always aiming to portray my emotional response to the mountains rather than the view but some paintings just seem to want to go their own way - more towards the figurative. But I have also been using cropping in the way I learned from the Lewis Noble course earlier this year, to hone in on the pictorial aspects that I like and reject the parts that don’t work.
Here are some of the sketches drawings and paintings
Drawings made in situ.
Three of the paintings that I think are finished. The one on the far left is my favourite - it is mostly inks with some black and white acrylic paint.
Some cropped details - my favourite bits
Working things out and nice little strips saved from my cropping where you can find lovely unplanned effects.
I think this subject is going to keep me going for a long time.
Exhibition opportunities are beginning to pick up again. Next weekend Cocconato will host the annual wine festival “Coccowine” and I will be exhibiting some work in the town’s communal hall. It is the one time of the year when we have have hundreds of visitors and is always a good opportunity to expand my clientele. For anyone in the area we will be open on Saturday the 4th from 17.00 to 24.00 and on Sunday the 5th from 15.00 to 20.00.
I am really pleased to say that the Whisper Gallery based in the UK will be hosting a virtual exhibition of 10 of my paintings from 12 October to 12 November. The theme is the poetry of landscape. There will be a private view and I will tell you more about the event next month.
June - Begonias, Street Exhibitions and Mountain Trips
After putting the Irises to bed in May I was unable to resist the call of my beautiful begonias - it was a busy month working in my courtyard garden and my main garden which is frighteningly big and every time I passed by the yellow and orange begonias they were saying "paint me, paint me" so I did. At first I went complexity abstract using quite a lot of transferred marks but I wasn't getting the feel of the profusion of colour and growth so I changed tack and produced these four acrylics (on paper) which although not figurative are more suggestive of begonias. All are for sale at €90 plus shipping. Please contact me on the contact page if you are interested.
Begonia Gialla e Arancia 28 x 20 cms
Begonia Gialla 28 x 20 cms
I joined with other members of my new group GoArtFactory to exhibit some work in streets of the Gran Balon area of Turin, famous for its flea market. It is an amazing place absolutely bustling - I know it doesn't look like it in these pictures but I had to wait for a space so that you can see the exhibition! The mountain paintings went down well - someone asked the price of one as I was hanging it. (Unfortunately they didn't like the price!)
Profusione di Begonia 28 x 20 cms
Begonia con Verde 28 x 20 cms
The L'Amore per l'Arte fair at Cocconato was lovely - we are a quiet town and generally you don't see many people in the afternoon but we had quite a few visitors and a number of guest artists. Some of my friends on Facebook came all the way from Biella to see it- thank you so much. I hope it is the start of my project to promote art in Cocconato - to have an atelier for guest exhibitions and an annual art fair. More on this next month I hope.
At the beginning of June all of Italy became a "white zone" with regard to Covid restrictions which meant that we could travel freely. So I immediately organised two little breaks in the mountains. We went to two gorgeous valleys in the mountains around Cuneo. The first was to Val Maira where I hadn't been before and is now my favourite mountain valley. We went in my husband's three wheeler open top car (home made) which is fabulous for communing with the mountain air, light and beauty in comfort. The second trip was to Limone which is also amazing. I managed to get some sketching done - I deliberately took a small range of materials to focus better. I have yet to do anything with the sketches but they will all be fodder for some larger canvases soon. I will also be travelling over to the Dolomites later this month so from late August I plan to start a significant series of mountain paintings .
And finally - in July there will be an event with my business group (Business Network International) at Giorgio Dogliotti's Cantina so I thought I would hang some new paintings there. I have returned to some that I started before I did Louise Fletcher's course last year. They are generic landscapes of the area around Giorgio's vineyards. They were in oil - so I had to carry on with the same media which I haven't used in over a year - except for one commission last winter. I really enjoyed getting back into the lushness of oil paint and was surprised at how much more freely I used the paint. Also my colour palette seems to have changed. Anyway here are two which I think are finished.
