Michael Moon

Los Angeles, California - United States

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ABOUT THE ARTIST

Born and raised in Southern California, Michael Moon knew he wanted to be an artist since the second grade. From this time until he graduated from college he sporadically continued his interest in painting, drawing and art history, but decided on a career in education. After finishing his M.A. in Educational Psychology, he began a combination of formal study at Art Center College of Design and UCLA in addition to his own experimentation and process in which he explored his continued attraction to painting.

Influenced especially by El Greco's passion, the Impressionist's love of color and the Expressionist's love of paint, for the next eight years he painted essentially in solitude. During this time he also began to be influenced by Eastern thought as well as the practice of meditation. It is during this time that he began to integrate Eastern and Western thought in the symbolism of his paintings. Ultimately for him the process perhaps is even more important than the product. Mr. Moon continues to refine and synthesize his journey through the vehicle of painting. Over the last decade he has had numerous solo and group shows, especially in California and the East Coast.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Painting is a means to create whatever comes to me. It is a creative experience which translates into a spiritual exercise - a spiritual workout as it were. It becomes a conversation with myself, which sometimes resonates immediately - other times with a struggle - but a process, however it unfolds, that hopefully is honest, real and valid.

PAINTING PROCESS

Whenever I start a painting it is with passion, excitement and anticipation as I am both participant and observer as color, shape, and form evolve onto a blank canvas. Color for me comes from a joy of having hues interplay with each other - light to dark, soft to strong, muted to bold, blended to contrasted. This use of color becomes an alchemist's palette - with a result not predetermined - but with bits and incidents of color unfolding on their own terms. Often I see myself in this process as a vessel or conduit where form, color and shape take their own journey and take their deserved place on a surface. Consciously or not, there is always a conversation among the tools and materials used and myself. The result, when successful, is a hopefully recognizable and enduring mystery that resonates a deep-seated familiarity from the viewer.

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (SOLO):

2013 The Shed Fine Art, Dana Point, CA "Abstract Visions"
2012 Robert Allen Fine Art, Sausalito, CA "3 Abstract Painters"
         Artwork Network, Denver, CO "By Way of LA"
2011 GDCA Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA    "Timeless-ness"
         ArtAmo Gallery, Santa Barbara ,CA "Black and White"
         GDCA Contemporary Art, Los Angeles,CA "Meditations"
2010 Gloria Delson Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA    "Timelessness-ness"
         Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA "Intimate Spaces"
         Adamar@Montecito, "Works by Michael Moon"
2009 Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA "Moon & Mohr"
2008 Adamar Gallery, Miami, FL, "California Dreaming", November
       Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, "Inner Spaces", March
2007 Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Meditations II", October
     See Gallery, W. Hollywood, CA, "Black/White", June
       Lotus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Pathways Revisited", May
     Opus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Open Spaces", April
2006 ArtAmo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, "Black and White", November
     Solaris Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, "Pathways 3", February
2005 Solaris Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, "Pathways II", November
         ArtAmo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, "Pathways", September
     Solaris Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, "Pathways", February
2004 Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Portals ", February
2003 William Torphy Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA, "Tranquility II", September
       William Torphy Fine Arts, San Francisco, CA, "Tranquility", June
       Ebert Gallery, San Francisco, CA, "Meditations", January
2002 Don O' Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Unspoken Moments", January
2000 Don O' Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Liquid Time", May
1998 Sunyata Gallery , San Pedro, CA, "Perseverance", May
1992 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Opposites Attract, January
1991 Mt. Saint Mary's College, Los Angeles, CA, "Contemporary Images", Dec
     Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Portraits from L.A", September
1987 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "Religious Trappings", January

SELECTED EXHIBITIONS (GROUP):

2013 Robert Allen Fine Art, Sausalito, CA "Abstract Works on Canvas"
2011 Robert Allen Fine Art, San Fran, CA "Abstract Works on Canvas and Panel"
         ArtSeen Gallery, Los Angeles, CA "Unprocessed"
       Adamar Fine Arts, Miami, FL "Summer Showcase"
2010 Jules Place Boston, MA    "New Beginings"
       Robert Allen Fine Art, San Francisco, CA "Group Abstract"
2009 Adamar Gallery, Miami, FL, "Abstraction Revisited", May
       Artamo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, "Take Five", June
2006 ArtAmo,Gallery,Santa Barbara, CA, "Works on Paper", December
       Klapper Gallery, West Hollywood, CA, "Into the Unknown", October
       Robert Allen Fine Art, San Francisco, CA, "Summer Show", July-August
       Lotus Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Group Show, July
       Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA, "13", June-August
       Vision 21 Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Group Show, February
       Solaris Gallery,West Hollywood, CA, "Envisions", September
         ArtAmo Gallery, Santa Barbara, CA, Group Show, April
2004 Cheryl Hazan Fine Art, NYC, NY, "Red Show", December
         Jung Dang Art Halls, Group Show, May
2001 Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Group Show, June
         Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Group Show, April
1998 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Orlando Gallery Connection, August
     Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Untitled, January
1997 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, "40th Anniversary Show", May
       St. Mathew's Sanctuary, Santa Monica, CA, "Epiphany", April
1994 Christopher John Gallery, Untitled, May
1992 Santa Monica Fine Arts Center, Santa Monica, CA, "Monolith's", November
1990 Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, CA, "Images of St. Sebastian", September
         Religious Painting Exhibition, Redding, CA, Untitled
1988 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Untitled, January
1987 Tortue Gallery, Shanti Foundation, Santa Monica, Untitled, September
         Brand Library Art Galleries, Glendale, CA, "Art & Spirituality", August
1986 Orlando Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Untitled, November
         LAART, New York City, "California Artists", February

CORPORATE COLLECTIONS:

Troy-CSL Lighting, Inc., City of Industry, CA
Gunderson - Dettmer Law Firm, Boston, MA
QAD Corp., Santa Barbara CA
CareFirst, Los Angeles, CA
Orrick Corp., Washington, DC
Corporate Office Properties, Washington, DC
Equity Office Properties, Los Angeles, CA
Karin and Rudolph Troller, Basel, Switzerland
Corporate Offices, San Diego, CA

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

California Homes, June, 2013
Florida Interational Magazine "Director's Choice", November, 2010
Santa Barbara Independent, March 18, 2008
Casa Magazine, February 29, 2008
Santa Barbara News Press/Scene Magazine, November 24, 2006
Food and Home Magazine, September, 2005
Santa Barbara News, September, 2005
L.A. Weekly, January, 1992
Los Angeles, Calendar, January 1992
Los Angeles Times, "Art This Week", January 1, 1992
Art In America Annual, 1988-89
Los Angeles Times, "Eye on the Arts", December 1987
Los Angeles Times , Calendar, January 1987

INSTALLATIONS:

Palisades Promenade Building, Santa Monica, CA "Four Monoliths" 1993-1994