Susan Moore

1.     How long have you been a member of the Guild and the Guild Board?

      I joined the Guild in the summer of 2021 when I was looking for opportunities to show and display my work.  In the fall of 2022, I became a Board member as the Show/Exhibits Chair.

2. What do you do/have you done in your role?

      I actually agreed to ASSIST with shows since I knew NOTHING about how to coordinate and run a show!   But, before I knew it, I was THE Show Chair!  I was truly flying by the seat of my pants…which is how I do and accomplish a lot!  The former Show Chair, Kathy Collins, was a wonderful and patient mentor! 

   The first thing I knew I wanted to do was streamline the whole process from registration, payment, take-in and hanging the shows.  I was a little overly ambitious since the first show I was leading was less than 2 months away!  But it got done!  We had to tweak a few things, but since then…and with the help of our incredible website manager/IT expert June Ni, and my Show committee…each show since has gotten easier and easier to plan and implement!

   Going forward, I, along with Board members, am looking into more opportunities for our Guild to show, exhibit and demonstrate our art!

3. Why did you join the Guild?

      I had only shown my work with a small arts council nearby.  That group was not doing much pre-covid, and pretty much stopped during and after covid, so I was looking for opportunities to be in judged and non-judged shows.  I joined the Guild so I could participate in the McDowell Arts Fall show in 2021. 

 Having grown up in Charlotte, I had always heard about the Guild and wanted to be a part of the wonderful group of talented artists!

4. When and how did you realize you were an artist?

    I always loved to make things!  Being much younger than my siblings, I was basically an only child growing up.  To entertain myself, I would cut, color, glue, draw…just loved creating!   When I was about 12, I spent a weekend with an older neighbor while my parents were out of town.  The woman was an artist, and not knowing how to entertain a 12 year old, she gave me a set of acrylic paints, some brushes, a metal lunch pail and began showing me how to paint flowers.  I was hooked, and for the next few years I painted on paper, wood, canvas - even rocks.  It was one way I passed the time when my parents and I were at our vacation home in the NC mountains.  I loved sitting outside painting flowers and trees in the fresh air!  I didn’t even realize I was a budding plein air painter!

5. What is your medium?

 Open Acrylics, oils, oil pigment sticks, cold wax…

6. What is your art about?

     If someone can figure that out, please let me know!  Honestly, it’s about what makes my heart race, gives me joy and excitement.  My art is about something that comes from deep inside my spirit as the beauty of God’s creation fills me!  I’ve heard artists and art mentors say “You have to find your voice…”, and “You need to create a cohesive body of work that is recognizable as that voice - your style…”. I have struggled with those statements, and I finally realized that my “voice” is very ADD, and that’s who I am as a person - I can’t and shouldn’t try to separate my art from who I am!  So my art ranges from impressionistic landscapes and still lifes to abstractions of things I see and experience to full-on no-rhyme or reason “shlepping” paint as the Spirit moves me!  It’s all very cathartic!

7. What is your method of producing artwork?

   Depends on the day, and the mood, and what moves me!  I have many canvases and panels prepped and ready.  Many times, I just get paint on the palette, then from the palette to a brush and brush to canvas and see what happens.  Other times, I am inspired by something I see in nature or on a walk, and I want to get a sense of what I saw on canvas.  And sometimes, I just love to play with the materials in different ways.

8. Do you have a studio space?

   Yes - we have an upstair bonus room that is my dedicated studio space.

 9. How much time do you spend creating art?

     Another loaded question!  No as much time as I would like to.  I thought when I retired 4 years ago I’d have all this extra time of my hands to do nothing but paint!  But life still happens - grandchildren to go visit, projects to do around our new house, things to do, people to see…. I TRY to be in my studio creating SOMEtHING every morning for a couple of hours!

10.  What are some of the things you do to promote your art?

        I still have a hard time actually thinking of myself as an “artist”, and I’ve never been big on promoting myself or “tooting my horn” - so not much at this point.  I do post on IG - and our Social Media chair on the Board does a phenomenal job of sharing and reposting everything that Guild members post!  Thank you, Angela!  I am working on getting my website updated and keeping it fresh - but that’s about it.

11. What advice would you like to share about the creative process, selling art in Charlotte or anything else?

       As a relative “newbie/emerging artist” in the art world, my advice is to seek out the advice of successful artists whose work you like and admire.  Being a member of the Guild has been so wonderful for me as I have gotten to know so many seasoned and talented professionals.  Follow their work, ask questions.  As a Guild member, attend meetings - the program speakers are inspiring, educational, innovative.  Even if their art/topic is not in your wheelhouse, enjoy and let yourself be WOWED!