Jesse H. Moore VII
When I was about 10, my father, a sculptor, proudly showed one of my childish oil paintings to a family friend, the famous circus artist Hugo Zacchini. He turned the painting over and wrote, “Good job, boy!” He encouraged me to become a painter. I didn’t. I fell in love with cameras.
Five years later, the New York Sunday News paid me $25 for a photograph – in that era, three day’s pay for an average worker. That check ignited a career: 60 years as a photojournalist, advertising designer and writer.
I won the usual awards. Occasionally, I created woodcut prints and jewelry, which sold well. I wrote and illustrated about a dozen books – the most recent, Great Pictures Made Simple.
My photographs and articles have appeared in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Woodcut prints, photographs and paintings are in private collections. Galleries in Florida, Virginia and North Carolina have accepted various works.
A few years ago, I rediscovered oil painting. Craig Richards – a talented impressionist artist and teacher – guides my work and wonders why it took me so long to add Manganese Blue to the palette.
Things I learned along the way:
Photography – New York Institute of Photography
English – College of William and Mary
Thai – US Information Service, Chulalongkorn University, private tutors
Mandarin Chinese – Private tutor
Military Science – US 8th Army NCO Academy (valedictorian)
Writing – Many scowling editors. The best, John R. Alexander
Organization Management – Institutes for Organization Management, University of Georgia (honors). Have managed non-profit and for-profit organizations. Presently serving as President of Muddy River Art Association.
Impressionist Landscape Painting – Craig Richards and a few hundred spoiled canvases
Life:
I live in the mountains north of Hanging Rock State Park, on a farm, my private park. There are about two miles of gravel roads. Creeks, waterfalls, cliffs, a cave. My cottage is a mile from the main road. I can neither see nor hear a neighbor.
Progress:
I’m fascinated by the style of classical Asian painters. Unlike many Western painters, who add to a painting until there is no more to add, the classical Asian painter tries to eliminate everything from a painting that isn’t necessary to tell the story.
I sign my Asian Style paintings using hànzì characters.