Artist Kristin Moore depicts sweeping Western landscapes and immersive skies in her acrylic paintings. These open environments—devoid of any people—appear to portray transitory moments of silence and solitude. Moore emphasizes this wistful aesthetic through beautiful gradient atmospheres that direct the eye to the land below. A Texas native, Moore received her MFA at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. “The way I look at the world is a direct result of growing up in Texas and living out of state in California,” the artist tells My Modern Met. In particular, she is inspired by the skylines of the two states, as well as the architecture, mountains, and trees which permeate the horizon. Moore explains that it was during her oscillation between home and school that she noticed how the signage would reflect the change in the landscape. For this reason, signs play a major role in her painting. The artist says, “I've been looking at what most people would find mundane or banal and adding an aesthetic, ethereal layer to it through my work.”
Although Moore's paintings contain a minimal delineation between ground and architecture, each subject she includes is done in meticulous detail. The juxtaposition of these refined renderings against the flat and even backdrop of the sky gives her work an impactful, graphic style. “The colors I pick for skies often come from memories of landscapes I’ve experienced,” the artist says. She associates Texas with the energy of the day while her nighttime paintings reflect the sprawling city and lights of Los Angeles.