Some artists create work that you may deeply admire and you think, It’s not in me to create work like that, I just don’t work that way although I sure wish I could. Ever had this feeling? One such artist that brings up these feelings for me is Moira Huntly. I’ve been a fan of her abstracted realism for years..and years!!
I wrote about one of Moira’s landscape pieces in one of my roundups. (Click HERE to read it.) What I said certainly expresses a lot of what I feel about her work. I’m mesmerised at how this artist sees and transposes the pattern of the landscape rather than directly recreating what she sees. Can you tell Moira Huntly is one of my art heroes?
Imagine then my complete and utter surprise when this brilliant artist accepted my invitation to be a guest on HowToPastel. I’m still kind of flabbergasted!
So I’m honoured and delighted to introduce you to Moira Huntly.
Don’t know her work? Here’s a teaser..
Before I hand the reins over to Moira, first a wee bit about her.
Moira Huntly Bio
Moira Huntly, born 1932 in Motherwell, Scotland, studied at Harrow School of Art and Hornsey College of Art in London. She went on to become the first woman President of the Pastel Society since it was founded in 1898, and was a past Governor of the Federation of British Artists. Elected to the Royal West of England Academy, the Royal Institute of Painters in Watercolours, and the Royal Society of Marine Artists, Moira exhibits widely and has undertaken many commissions for international companies. She is a teacher and author of several books relating to the practice of drawing and painting. You can see more of her work on her website.
Now take it away Moira!
*****
I’m often asked “What do you do for a living?”
My answer – ‘I’m an artist.’
And the response is nearly always, “What a lovely relaxing thing to do.”
People are really surprised when I respond, “No, it isn’t.”
Then I explain that I have the constant pressure of exhibition deadlines, plus keeping up a standard, which is really difficult, but I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
I’m told my artistic career started when I was about two years old. We lived in NW Spain and returned to Britain for annual leave travelling by ocean liner, no air travel in those days. My parents liked to dance in the evenings and a crew member would babysit. Drawing materials were always hidden away. One evening a crew member thought I was fast asleep, but no, I had found a crayon and was very busy scribbling all over the cabin’s pillowcases, there being no paper to hand.
Living in Spain came to an abrupt end when the Civil War broke out and we had to escape, lost everything, and were penniless refugees. We returned to Britain, but during the second world war we had another disaster – our home was blitzed. We stayed with relatives in Scotland whilst our house was being repaired and I attended Perth Academy for a while. I remember the art lessons being very boring – just cubes, prisms, and spheres. We drew in pencil as art materials were in short supply during the war. I would probably make much more of that subject matter today.
So life is a game of chance and a lot of luck.
After the war, we moved to London and I studied at Harrow School of Art and Hornsey College of Art. Since my student days, I have believed in gaining knowledge from direct observation. Drawing is very important to me and through accuracy in drawing, I try to explore shape and form and discover in a subject its potential for a painting.
In the early years, I painted in oils and watercolours, then unexpectedly my father in law, who was also a professional artist, presented me with his box of pastels to try, and the rest is history. Those good quality pastels were a revelation and a joy to work with. Little did I know then, that many years later I would become the first woman President of the Pastel Society since it was founded in 1898.
I regard the composition and content of a painting as more important than the medium, but sometimes I instinctively choose a particular sketch to work from because I visualise it in a certain medium. I can’t explain why this is so.
Painting with pastel is painting with pure colour, the pigment is unsullied with oil or varnish and is the most permanent of the mediums so long as the surface is looked after.
This reminds me of a portrait I was commissioned to make of a local dignitary. I had used pastel and was quite pleased with the result. Temporarily I put it on the top of my baby grand piano to await framing well out of reach of small children, but I was wrong. Unfortunately, the oldest managed to climb up and pull it towards her to have a look, and little fingers went right across the image. All I could do was touch it up as best I could, and it was duly presented. By chance, years later I met the people who had commissioned the work and they told me how pleased they still were with the portrait. I never said a word, just smiled to myself.
I still work in a variety of media and sometimes mixed media, but whichever medium I choose, my way of thinking and approach to a painting remains the same. Marine and industrial subjects, buildings in the landscape, figures and still life appeal to me, but whatever the subject, I am searching for its abstract qualities. I am looking for abstract shapes that appeal, patterns full of strong rhythms and invention distilled from my drawings.
I see the world as a kaleidoscope of broken lines, shapes, and colour masses, sometimes fragmented into jewels of colour. I love exploring colour as well as abstraction and I try to keep a balanced composition with a semi-realistic interpretation. I call it ‘abstract realism’. These are the qualities I seek in my work and am continually striving to achieve.
Years ago I used to paint ‘en plein air.’ It is a good foundation as a painter, but nowadays I paint mainly in the studio. I find it easier to explore composition ideas when I am in the studio rather than ‘on the spot’ where there is always the danger of reality taking over. At that point, I begin to lose my initial abstract ideas.
I rely heavily on my sketch books sometimes freely combining more than one sketch for the same painting. This combination of subject matter is sometimes referred to as a capriccio.
For pastel painting I work on mountboard. I like a sturdy support especially for large works, and it is fascinating how the colour of the mountboard can influence the painting.
I start by under painting with a dark tone of watercolour and a large brush, or white gouache if the mountboard is very dark in tone. Below, I have included examples of some of my preliminary working methods, using collage ideas or abstract doodles.
Cubist painters such as Cezanne, Picasso and Braque have had a strong influence on my still life paintings. Braque in particular whose flat cut out shapes and strong design show the influence of collage. The British painter Ben Nicholson is another influence.
Working Methods and Studies
Sometimes I create a collage and will view it upside down or on its side to seek out the right composition balance, then I will study it for a while until a subject matter suggests itself. In this instance, the collage inspired a still life painting.
Other working methods show how I make a rough tonal drawing of a collage, usually in pastel or charcoal and this helps to crystallise ideas.
Alternatively, I will make a fairly abstract black and white doodle, and then go through my sketch books until I find a subject that I feel is compatible with the abstract shapes.
I guess you could call it a ‘back to front’ way of painting but it seems to work for me! Nothing is precisely copied and I looked at several sketches for inspiration.
Finally, I will try to make my working stages clearer as I created Mediterranean Village.
Stage 1 Choosing the collage
Stage 2 TONAL DRAWING 2 drawing of the collage in charcoal and pastel, but this time taking it a little further by adding some slight definition.
Stage 3 Pen and ink drawing of Besalu, Spain
Stage 4 The final painting – Mediterranean Village.
Whatever my method, the resulting painting is usually all pastel with hardly any of the underpainting showing through.
I don’t use fixative; I just give a sharp tap or two to the back of the painting to dislodge any loose particles before it goes under glass.
We are always looking for different ways to portray what we feel and have observed, and the search is never over. It is often a struggle to capture in the final painting the excitement of the first inspiration, and convey it to others.
Remember that there are many ways of painting and interpreting a subject, and mine is only one of them.
~~~~~
I don’t know about you but I’m sooooooo inspired to experiment! I was surprised and delighted by Moira Huntly’s use of collage as a way of discovering a visual pattern from which to develop a painting. And, as much as I’ve used sketches as inspiration for pastel pieces, I don’t think I’ve ever reinterpreted them in the way this artist does.
Tell us, have you been inspired? And do you have questions? Please leave those and any comments you’d like to make about the glorious work of Moira Huntly!
Thanks for being here and I’ll catch you next time!
~ Gail
52 thoughts on “Moira Huntly – Moving From Abstract Patterns Towards Reality”
Inspiring – my focus is realism, but I have an older pastel painting that I’m going to give another try at – maybe add more looseness.. Thanks!!
Ohhhh Lori, glad you’ve been inspired! Let us know how your experiment on your older piece turns out!
I’ve never worked on mountboard. Would love to know more about it and how to work with it. I’m used to sanded paper and I have a feeling that mountboard is a totally different kind of surface. This was a really interesting read. Definitely got me thinking outside the box.
That’s great to hear MaryAnn! I love outside the box 😁
And I’m curious about mountboard too. I’ll let Moira answer you.
I am also thoroughly intrigued by mountboard.
What is it exactly – I’m thinking maybe it is different in the UK, from what we call mount board here in the US. Here mount board is a slightly stiff, maybe 1-2mm thick paper based board that we use to frame paintings. Sometimes it is foam, and thicker, say 3-5mm, and it is used as a back board.
I’m also wondering if Moira puts a grit or roughening substance on the mountboard before she paints.
Liz, I will alert Moira to your inquiry and see if we can get some answers. Or perhaps some of our UK friends will have an answer.
I did go to Jackson’s Art Supplies (UK retailer) and found this page about mount board. I also found this article about the difference between mat board, mount board, and foam core. Useful I think!
Oh I really love this artist and her work…… I too have never tried abstract…. gonna give it a go, thanks for sharing
Yay!!
And love hearing you’re going to give abstract painting a go. Let us know what happens Rosemary!
Thank you Gail for introducing me to the work of Moira Huntly. Love her drawings and her statement, “I see the world as a kaleidoscope of broken lines, shapes and color masses, sometimes fragmented into jewels of color” perfectly describing her paintings. Lovely!
Ohhh Gailen, I’m a bit surprised you don’t know her work so I’m delighted to introduce this artist’s work to you!! Love the quote – thanks for picking that out!
Fascinating to see and learn about her process. So experimental and yet her composition are balanced, and the values too. Her years of experience and making art are evident in every painting. Thank you for sharing her with us.
So well put Debb! As you say, there’s an experimental feel to them but with all of Moira’s years of knowledge and experience flowing into them.
Hi Gail, thank you for another super roundup. Imagine doing this with those rolling fields and hills in Tuscany? I’m going to give it a try. Very inspirational
Hey Val, I can indeed see a version of Moira’s work in Tuscan hills and I know you’re the one to do it!! Make sure you post what you do 😁
Gail, Your round-ups are great. Are you still doing them? It appears that you are doing them on How to Pastel. I’ll take a look there. Since joining Ignite! I don’t go to How to Pastel very often. Hmmmm what else am I missing …..
Thanks Liz. I no longer do the roundups. They took me on average, three full days to write, and that didn’t include the collecting time! Now much of my time is dedicated to creating content and managing IGNITE! the art-making membership you’re part of (thank you!).The rest of the time is blog writing and curating and also trying to carve out studio time! I loved doing those roundups…they made me take time and ponder about WHY I had chosen the pieces I did and then to write something specific and individual about each.
Fabulous. Another inspirational artist. Lots to take away from this blog. Thanks for inviting her to share her magic with us.
You are so welcome Jan. I’m glad to hear there are lots of takeaways…and magic!
Enjoyed being introduced to Moria Huntley’s art.I felt inspired as on joining a local art class where work is mainly oil, acrylic with some pastel ,I found to my surprise that pastels became my favourite medium.
Unfortunately having used baby wipes for cleaning up my hands I have developed finger tip dermatitis.
I have to wear glove when using pastels which is not ideal.
I’m delighted to have introduced you to Moira Huntly’s work Janet. And even more delighted that you’ve fallen for soft pastels 😀
I’m sorry to hear about the affliction you’ve developed..and gosh, from using baby wipes! I have found that using a barrier cream really makes washing hands that much easier and so avoid the need for wipes (except when working en plein air). But it seems you need to wear gloves. I do hope it clears up and you can go back to holding pastels with naked fingers.
Fascinating!!! Moira’s drawings are superb! It’s so interesting how she simplifies the drawings into geometric shapes in such an incredibly creative and pleasing way. Inspiring, for sure!!
Yes, yes, and YES! Ruth I’m so glad you share my excitement about Moira Huntly’s work!
This was such an interesting post, full of ‘good stuff’. Thank you for introducing me to her work: although I am scottish myself I wasn’t aware of her art.
Happy to introduce you to another Scottish artist Morag! And delighted you found a lot of “good stuff” here 😀
Thank you for introducing me to Moira Huntley. Her work is STUNNING! I find myself dwelling on each piece for a long time and marveling at her color choices and compositions. The story about drawing on the pillow case when she was a child made me laugh! I wonder what happened to that pillow case. Hmmmm
Yes yes!! Each piece calls out to be examined closely and frequently. There’s always more to discover, our reward for deeper looking. I love that you pulled out the pillowcase drawing. I wonder if Moira knows what happened to it!
Wow! What a fascinating way to work, and with such stunning results. I never would have thought of using collage as a way to generate design ideas, but I can see a play date with paper and scissors coming my way soon. Thank you for you inspiration, Moira!
Play date alert!!!! That sounds like such FUN Jocelyn. And yes, I too never thought of working with collage the way Moira does. Please come back and post about your experiments at play!
Fantastic article and very inspiring to try a new approach! Thank you Moira and Gail!
Gosh you are so welcome Anne!! Can’t wait to see where you take this inspiration in your own work!
You’d never guess from her ink sketches that the final result is often these gorgeous “abstract realist” landscapes. It just demonstrates the different methodologies that lead to, as she says, success in portraying a subject. Initially I was reminded of Barbara Remington’s Lord of the Rings cover art, but this artist’s work is way beyond illustration. And what a great communicator / essayist she is!
You’re so right Pam about the unbelievable connection between Moira Huntly’s ink sketches and her final work!
Interesting thread to Barbara Remington’s illustrations!
Thanks for showcasing Moira’s work Gail. I grew up in The Cotswolds before coming to Canada and many years ago I saw Moira’s work in a gallery in Broadway, Gloucestershire. I was totally blown away and have followed her ever since. I often look at her work for inspiration. I also have her book “how to sketch boats” and I have found it very helpful when I don’t have the boat in front of me for reference. I understand she lives near Broadway which I visit quite often as my sister lives in Cheltenham.
I hope your workshop to Tasmania goes ahead. I was there a year ago – my second visit to Tasmania -but didn’t have time to paint. I’d love to go again but find the long journey hard work. I moved from pastel to oil a few years ago but am itching to get back to it, hopefully soon.
Janet, thanks for sharing your own connection with Moira Huntly and her work. That book you have of hers would be so useful for sure!
Interesting about your sister in Cheltenham – I went to school there to do my A-Levels. Had planned to get to the UK last year to teach and link up with old school buddies but yeah…COVID-19 put an end to that! And now with Tasmania…I’m not sure…we may have to change to next year. That will be hugely disappointing but better to make a decision now than needing to postpone a couple of months before the event. It seems everything is headed in the right direction to have it happen but…how to make the call to stay the course or postpone?? I’m soooooo looking forward to teaching this workshop!
Such beautiful and thoughtful provoking work. So glad to see it.
And I’m so glad to hear you find it so Marsha.
Thank you,Gail, for bring these wonderful artists into the School. I always learn something new that I can bring to my work. I especially appreciate Moira’s drawings and how she builds her paintings upon that foundation. The four stages from Besula is extra special! Thanks, again!
You are so welcome Richard! I’m really happy to know Moira’s process of working resonates with you. (Maybe this will lead to a Mini Challenge in IGNITE!?) And I agree with you about seeing the stages that lead to the Mediterranean Village painting.
Thank you Gail for sharing this. I really love reading about other artists; how they developed over the years and what motivates and inspires them.. everything Moira writes about makes so much sense. Her work is uplifting and magical…and also aspirational. I love how she values her preparatory work before there is even a painting. I need to remember that more often…Thank you very much again…
Ahhhh Tania, I agree totally – that it’s fascinating to read about other artists and their artistic life, that Moira’s work is so inspirational, and that we all need to remember the value of preparatory work! Thank you!
Thank you for bringing this wonderful artist to my attention. As a hobby artist who is drawn to the detail I have been inspired to look for the simpler shapes as a way of breaking images up.
I’m delighted to have introduced Moira Huntly to you Pam! And YES, do look for those bigger shapes…it will definitely strengthen your work.
My work is mostly realistic but I love trying abstract. Her work is inspirational to me. It gives me ideas for different approaches to abstract work. Thanks for posting!
Awesome to hear Terri! Let us know how your ideas turn out!
These are beautiful. I’m especially attracted to Moira’s still lifes…they remind me a bit of Morandi and the cubists…I am inspired to try focusing more on shape, less on object…in truth where does one thing begin and the other end?
Gail, thanks for this wonderful blog. I learn so much from these postings. They are a special treat and I am a faithful fan.
You are so welcome Isabella. It really is my pleasure to bring guest artists and their pastel work to HowToPastel and hearing comments like yours just adds to that pleasure.
I like your references to Morandi and to the Cubists. And yes!! shape rather than object! Please post your experiments in IGNITE!
Thank you so, so much for introducing me to Moira’s work! I have been sketching a lot this last year, and I’m excited to look back through my prior work to find inspirational images that lead to abstract collage or other compositional experimentation! So inspiring!
A thought came to me immediately. A combination of inspiration from both Gail and Moira, but together! In my own exploration of color in value, back when Gail posted a self portrait with crazy colors, I had a YES moment. To conquer and explore my fear of color in value, I decided to make a self portrait in collage with paper colors that I determined to be different values, yet very vibrant colors. Taking Moira’s ideas of abstract interpretation, I think I will pull out that collage, my most recent pastel self portrait, and sketch out ideas for a pastel version of an abstract interpretation of my collage. I am really excited about the possibilities! I can see how Moira explored the value abstraction beautifully! I hope I can make another color/value leap in my own work! I will be sure to post my process and results on the Friday challenge How to Pastel Facebook group!
I would love to see more process examples with Moira! Would you consider doing a Zoom interview with Moira, Gail, to delve even deeper? I am so eager to learn more from her!!!
Hi Sue, WOW!! and WOW! Thanks for your enthusiastic response to Moira’s guest post!! I’m pretty darn excited for you! (Ad I’ve seen your collage in the HowToPastel (HTP) Facebook group and another WOW! Can’t wait to see how your experimentations and self-portrait in pastel via Moira’s method turn out.
Thanks for the idea of interviewing Moira! I’ll see what I can do 😀
What a treat Gail! I love Moira’s work, with her wonderful sense of design and brilliant use of colour. I participated in the RSMA show in London 2012 and Moira’s work graced the catalogue cover – I wished I could have afforded to buy her glorious painting!
I met her very briefly when she popped into a Tony Alain workshop in 2015, she has such a wonderful presence.
I’m also lucky enough to share the same gallery in Suffolk and to have my work hanging alongside hers is such a thrill!
Thank you Gail!
Hi Gareth,
Gosh I thought I’d replied but it seems not! Thank you for sharing your own connection with Moira. How wonderful to have actually met this fabulous artist and oh yes, how splendid to be in the same gallery as her. A thrill indeed!
The thumbnail of the abstract drawing answers a question that was asked during Saturday’s “Looking at art”: does the abstract artist prepare his painting, looking at values for instance. Well, your guest proves that some at least do!
Thank you for sharing, and guiding us through these wonderful artists’ process of creation.
Yes it does that for sure! Thanks for making the connection 🙂
(And for those of you who may be curious, Dom is referring to our monthly Looking at Art call in my IGNITE! membership where we look at art from the past as it relates to the month’s topic. You can get on the Waitlist for the membership HERE.)