Meet Jay Moore | Landscape painter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
My work ethic. When my Dad told me I could go to Art School after high school, I dedicated myself to art from that day on. I bought a large sketch book and practiced drawing every day. Then in art school, I put 110% into every assignment and won a scholarship and graduated at the top of my class.

Out of art school, I got a job as a graphic designer. After a year, they were giving me raises every month. When I went out on my own as a freelance illustrator, I shared a loft studio with another artist and we had a cot between our easels. We would take turns sleeping on the cot as we worked around the clock on tight deadlines.

Moving into landscape painting, had just been married, and could not afford a studio, so I did all my paintings outdoors. In all weather, I would paint in the snow when it was -20 degrees, and run from rain and lightning in the summer. I would paint from dawn to dusk, turning out 4-5 paintings a day. Now, 30 years later, I have my own gallery, but still work 8-10 hours a day.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of the projects I am most proud and excited about is a commissioned painting measuring 62″ x 160″ for the newly remodeled Cherry Hills Country Club. It was by far the largest painting I had ever done, and may be the most prestigious location. I am most proud of the accomplishment, because half way through the painting, I got a nerve pinched in my back and had severe pain in my back and leg, causing my right foot to go completely dead. I had 200 hours of work left on the painting, and it had to be completed on time for the club’s 100 year anniversary party. With ice packs and pain meds, I completed the painting, and they were very happy with it. That was two years ago, and I still do not know how I gritted through it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the area, I would probably take them on a road trip loop through the mountains, planning various activities at each stop along the way. We might start playing golf in Vail and look through the town, then go to the Glenwood Hot Springs. Then we would head south over McClure pass to tour some wineries in Paonia. From there we would head south and do some hiking in the San Juan Mountains and have dinner in Telluride. Then work our way back home through Crested Butte and do some fly fishing on the rivers there. Then over Cottonwood Pass to Buena Vista, if there is time, do some white water rafting on the Arkansas River and back home.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
When I was young, my mother encouraged me to keep going with my art. She helped talk my father into letting me go to art school. When I decided to become a landscape painter, I literally picked up the phone and called the absolute best landscape painters that I knew and respected. Like calling up Michael Jordan to teach you basketball. Clyde Aspevig and Wilson Hurley both were willing to critique my art in their studios, and give me a little advice here and there.

I also was an ardent student of past masters. I have a collection of over 1000 art books from all over the world, some are not even in english, but I wanted to see their paintings.

Website: https://jaymoorestudio.com

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Image Credits
Aaron Colussi Photography