Statement

“I am interested in the quality of the light, the colour key and the tonal key of the painting. Each painting is a stand-alone moment captured. The body of work is of no consequence, it really is about being with the painting, a singular moment in time.”

Biography

David Moore is an Australian painter living and working in Castlemaine, Central Victoria. Landscape and still life are his preferred subjects.

Not one to overthink why he makes a painting, David Moore is nevertheless quite clear about his intent. Much like the Impressionists
David is concentrating on a moment in time. During this lapse of time and the ever-changing light, the painting is put down on the panel, paper, canvas, or linen and that’s enough, no grand artist statements required, in fact, David is averse to the lofty proclamations preferring to just get on with it.

David’s landscape moments are from around Castlemaine, Harcourt and surrounding areas Elphinstone, Maldon, Sutton Grange. He has attuned his eye to the type of landscape he inhabits in the Central Goldfields – flat, rocky, vast, ravaged, distant, age-old, moody, picturesque, romantic, evocative, breathtaking and then there is the David Moore skies. Pluming, billowing, puffy white on light clouds of strange dimensions and the colours are sympatico with the landscape - golden mauve sunset or tangerine-pink sunrise, clear crisp light, tonal silver-blue greys in the shadows and mysterious layered darks.

It holds true that each individual painting becomes a portal into nature as it presents to the purist eye of this painter.

It is not always about the quintessential postcard image of landscape either. It can be the underwhelming landscape of post-gold rush mining areas where remnant bushland and revegetation have started to rejuvenate or a stray Winter paddock with a bit of an odd series of bush clumps dancing about in a very unmanicured manner. The painter’s eye consciously sees, interprets, records and in turn we visit these places in our imaginations.

David is also an enthusiastic teacher and ambassador for painters wanting to learn the craft. David Moore taught tonal painting for 30 years at Montsalvat, the Justus Jorgensen’s (1893–1975) architecturally inspired treasure in Eltham on the outskirts of Melbourne. David now instructs students privately in Castlemaine.

David Moore’s paintings are in several notable collections including Geelong Art Gallery, Castlemaine Art Museum, Waverley City Council, Nillumbik Council, Whitehorse Artspace and many private collections.

Awards

His awards include the Alice M. E. Bale scholarship, the Norman Kay Award from the Victorian Artists Society and the Nillumbik Art Award.