Artist Spotlight: Moya Aiken

September 04, 2019 28 Comments

Artist: Moya Aiken
Title: "Neck Laced"
Size: 18" x 24"
Medium: Oil and graphite on paper
Frame:  1.5” Black Cap
Website: www.moyaaikenart.com

Striking lines, shapes and bold colors, these are well within the vocabulary of the former textile designer and graphic artist, Moya Aiken. Preparing for my talk with Moya, art historical references and past artists rushed through my head, like Cy Twombly, Agnes Martin, Franz Kline, Alexander Calder & Victor Pasmore to name a few, but none of them were doing what Moya is quite gracefully achieving. With an incredibly complex and intricate past, she turns to minimalism in her work. She is confident in her strokes and unaltered by outside influences. As a result, her viewers are left captivated with soothing imagery, no more complicated than is necessary, but never uninteresting.

Moya grew up part of a working-class family in Northern England, but after her school years, Moya had her eyes on the States and bought a one-way ticket to NYC.  She found herself in the right place at the right time, with the skills and talents to propel her into the field of design.  After a very successful career, with an Emmy to show for it, I want to focus on what still might be her greatest strides yet, as a full-time artist. Moya will be part of a group show “Abstraction” coming up at the Kenise Barnes Fine Art gallery. There you can see first-hand the detail work that goes into each unique piece.  In this sense they are true paintings, but in other ways the works on paper seem to draw on the repetition of large wood blocks or reference other forms of printmaking.

While Moya’s exact techniques are safely guarded, she generously shared some of her thought process surrounding her studio time.  Like many genuine, hard-working-artists, it is so much more than just a job. It follows her around in life, filling up sketch books and going to bed with her at night.  But ideas are only as good as the artist who brings them to life. She works fast and diligently leaving no room for second guessing, trusting her instinct and life experience to guide the way. Living with and around her art seemed to be an integral part of her process. Moya recalled several times hanging incomplete art in her bedroom so that she could wake up and see the work with fresh eyes, excited to get into the studio.

After a few fantastic life stories, I was compelled to return to the art at hand. Moya sees herself as a formalist “what you see is what you get” and in my opinion, what you get is high end, fine art, that’s simply enjoyable to be around.  We are looking forward to working with her on what might be one of her largest endeavors yet, framing an eleven-foot painting! I just hope the Wholesale Frame team and I can keep up with the big ideas of Moya Aiken for years to come.

For more information about her upcoming show visit the website @ https://www.kbfa.com/exhibitions/

Abstraction 
Kenise Barnes Fine Art
7 Fulling Lane, Kent, CT
September 14 – November 3, 2019

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