Greg Moon / About

Greg Moon Art showcases the work of Taos artist Greg Moon in it's many varied mediums and forms.

Greg Moon returned to New Mexico following a 25 year absence shortly after receiving his BFA from the University of Texas in Austin. The son of an artist and an educator, his introduction to the arts started early. “My mother has a Master’s degree in Art Education and my father is a retired Art Professor/ Artist who has a PhD in the same field. No matter how I struggled against it early on there was little doubt I would end up in the arts. Most of my friends growing up had People Magazine on the living room coffee table – in our house it was American Artist and Art in America.”
   Greg has been showing professionally since 1989 in galleries and museum shows; at this point he has participated in over 80 exhibitions and has amassed 11 one-man shows. His work is split between several diverse bodies of work that reflect his varied aesthetic tastes and interests.  At present his artwork includes more traditional media such as watercolor, gouache, and oil painting. He also produces work in the realms of assemblage and mixed media.

From Greg Moon

REPRESENTATIONAL WORK

At present my work reflects two major interests that have shaped my subject matter for well over two decades. These involve roads and nighttime.

My continued fascination with all things nocturnal stems from many sources; the most obvious for me is the evocative quality of nighttime. Although my work has an almost nostalgic quality, the use of night totally changes the context of any memories or associations the viewer might have. Having something that seems familiar in the context of night alters perceptions and makes emotional responses more profound. This quality, for lack of a better term, can be anywhere from serene to somewhat menacing. These inherent emotions are affected as much by what the viewer brings to the piece, as they are by what my intentions were. Both viewpoints may be equally valid from my particular viewpoint.

The other theme present in my work, roads, has a fairly broad range of gradations as well. Roads, highways, streets: all of these and more work as obvious metaphors for a series of themes and emotions. The pathway to enlightenment, the highway to hell, the road not taken: examples of the votive values we ascribe to these objects that tie us all together. The lore and legend of the open road has seminally influenced the development of our society. Much like the sentimental ideals of the cowboy era, the nostalgia of the freedom of the open road is an idealized perception of reality. This idealized view carries a preformed perception that is strongly associated with the western part of the USA. This modern mythology, in large part, drives my work.

The final, and probably most important, aspect of my work is that of the aesthetic. In an age where many artists illicit emotional responses through techniques such as shock-value, I and many other artists choose to pursue the dead art of painting. With so much bombarding us in our modern society we seldom give ourselves license to let our minds wander. I hope that my work serves as a catalyst for the viewer. If my work can serve as a visual trigger for someone to do a bit of healthy daydreaming, I have achieved my desired affect.


CONCEPTUAL WORK

    My most recent work is the amalgamation of my representational body of work and my inherent love for collage/ assemblage. This work is a little more expressionistic; hap-hazard; slap-dash than my past work. There has been a conscious effort to not get too cautious with the images, thus leading to a more direct and painterly quality unfiltered by overly deliberate consideration. There are still many formal elements and related themes that echo back to my previous body of work – night-time, roads, silhouettes. What has evolved in this new format is the narrative. Previous works referring to titles (literature, movies, music) were constrained to a specific moment in time. With this new work the narrative is far more elastic and this snapshot is capable of existing as a timeline/ story board. This format leaves the work less ambiguous and involves the viewer in the act of resolving what the specific narrative is. I am enjoying the experience of not really knowing where a work is going – until it gets there. The freedom and experimental quality of these pieces has been refreshing – I hope it shows…

EDUCATION:                B.F.A., Studio Arts, University of Texas at Austin, 1989

                                       Printmaking, University of New Mexico, Taos, 1999

 

ONE MAN SHOWS:

 

                        2010      TAO Open Studio, Dos Lunas Studio, Taos, NM

                        2000     “El Tiempo de las Sombras”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

                        1999     "From Dusk 'til Dawn", Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM     

1997          “Eventide”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

1996          “Nocturne”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1994          “Travels”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1992          “Southwest Architecture”, Winters Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, NM

1991          “Tangents”, Austin Futons, Austin, TX

1991          “Roadside View”, South Plains College, Levelland, TX

1990          “Greg Moon – One Man Show”, Austin Futons, Austin, TX

1989          “Nightscapes”, Griswald’s, Austin, TX

1989          “Moonscapes”, Katz’s Top of the Mark, Austin, TX

 

TWO MAN SHOWS:

 

                        2006     “Twilight Time”, Wilder-Nightingale Fine Art, Taos, NM

                        1999     "Dos Lunas", XIT Museum, Dalhart, TX

                        1998     “Once in a Blue Moon”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

1995          “Night and Day”, Canyon Road Contemporary Art, Santa Fe, NM

1995      “Magner and Moon”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1991     “Two Watercolorists”, Winters Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, NM

1990          “Dos Lunas”, Office of Treasurer (Ann Richards), Austin, TX

 

GROUP SHOWS:

 

                         2010       “Paint for Peaks Auction for Breast Cancer Awareness”, Taos Ski Valley, NM

                         2010      “Miniature Invitational”, Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM

                         2009       “Habitat for Humanity Auction”, Taos Country Club, Taos, NM

                         2009       “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2008       “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2008       “Land of Color and Enchantment: The Southwestern Collection of Charles                           and                                      

                                          Jeanette Gilchrist-White”, Lakeview Museum, Peoria, IL

                         2007       “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2007       Art in Public Places Initiative, NM Purchase, Deming, NM  

                         2007      “Three of a Kind”, Wilder Nightingale Fine Art, Taos, NM

                         2006      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2005      “Miniature Invitational”, Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM

                         2005      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2004      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2003      “Small Works Invitational”, Wilder-Nightingale Fine Art, Taos, NM.

                         2003      “Beaux Arts Ball”, Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX.

                         2003      “Group Fall Arts Show”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM.

                         2003      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall”, Taos, NM.

                         2002      “Group Fall Arts Show”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

                         2002      “New Art of the West 8”, Eiteljorg Museum, Indianapolis, IN

                         2002      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         2001      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

2000            “Taos Society of Watercolorists”, Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM

2000             “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

                         1999       “Members Show”, Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM

                         1999      "Taos Invites Taos", Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM

            1999      "Best of Taos", Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM

                         1999      "Taos Talking Pictures Show"(Invitee), Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM

                         1999      "Taos Society of Watercolorists Annual", Millicent Rogers Museum, Taos, NM

                        1999     "Taos Society of Watercolorists", Van Vechten-Lineberry Museum, Taos, NM

                         1999      “Dos Lunas“, Wayland Baptist University, Plainview, TX

                         1999      "Southwestern Landscape", Johnsons of Madrid, Madrid, NM

                         1998      “Taos Invites Taos”, Rio Grande Hall, Taos, NM               

                         1998      “Best of Taos”, Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM

1998          “Taste of Taos”, Sedona Art Center, Sedona, AZ

1997     “Small Works Invite”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

1997     “Taos Open”, Lujan Building, Taos, NM              

1997     “Miniature Invitational”, West Gallery, Taos, NM

1997     “TAA Members Award Show”, Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM.

1997     “Best of Taos”, Stables Art Gallery, Taos, NM

1997     “Nocturne Invitational”, Dos Lunas Gallery, Taos, NM

1996     “Invitational Christmas Miniature Show”, West Gallery, Taos, NM

1996      “Annual Blue Show”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1996     “Route 66 Show”, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM

1996     “Taos Open”, Lujan Building, Taos, NM

1996     “TAA Members Show”, Stables Gallery, Taos, NM

1995     “Small Works Show”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1995     “Annual Blue Show”, Wade Gallery, Taos, NM

1993     “Christmas Show”, Winters Gallery, Ranchos de Taos, NM

1993     “Dias de Muertes”, Opening Scene Gallery, El Prado, NM

1993     “Taos Open”, Lujan Building, Taos, NM

1992     “Taos Open”, Lujan Building, Taos, NM

1991     “Changes”, Driskoll Gallery, Austin, TX

1991     “Collectors Showcase”, Driskoll Gallery, Austin, TX

1991     “Annual Auction”, Austin Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, First City, Austin, TX


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