Jake Moore

Jake Moore

Specialism:

I’m not sure I can rightly say I have one at the moment. I’m currently in the enjoying a more experimental phase in my work trying out lots of new ideas and mediums. I suppose if pressed for it though I’d have to say portraiture, to me it’s one of the most direct ways to make something that connects with people. There’s a lot you can say with a face.

Influences:

I find that a good relationship with art is like a good relationship with food, not too much of any one thing and as much variety as possible. Whether is be movies and television programs, comic books, manga, video games or albums, you are what you eat, so eat well.

In terms of visual artists for example, my taste stretch from the imposing and stylized work of Peter Howson, with his powerful figures cutting across canvasses that feel miles wide, to the subtle and impressionistic art of John Singer Sargent which range from minute, intimate portraits to grand theatrical moments in time. Beyond these two I enjoy the visual works of artists such as J.C. Leyendecker, Norman Rockwell, Karl Kercshl, Alex Ross, Masamune Shirow, Paul Kidby, Fiona Staples, Patrick Gleason, Mike Mignola and Mika Ninagawa.

Moving away from the static world of canvases and frames, I’m also influenced immensely by the world of cinema and television. How could I not be? My favourite kinds of films are the kind where you get deep into the headspace of it’s cast, to feel what they feel. It’s something I’m always trying to get into my own projects and so I’d say film has a fairly big influence on how I work. Some favourites of mine include Taxi Driver, Do The Right Thing, Heat, Akira, Alien, Blade Runner, Beter Call Saul, Get Out and Bojack Horseman.

As I said, variety is key and beyond visual mediums I’m also a long-time admirer of a number of musical acts, I find music a source of inspiration I draw on more and more as time goes on. I suspect it’s to do with my complete lack of ability in that area, it all seems like magic to me. In particular, I find myself listening to the discography of artists such as Half•Alive, Janelle Monae, Talking Heads, De La Soul, Samm Henshaw and Labi Siffre more than anything else at the minute.

MAKE space:

For one thing, it’s a place separate from the rest of my life where I can develop the kinds of projects, I can only work on there there. For another it’s been good to meet with my fellow tenants in the space and watch as their work develops. In many ways we’re often like ships that pass in the night, my schedule being significantly less orthodox than my colleagues. But there’s definitely a sense of camaraderie and I like to think I’ve learned a lot from the gang. I’ve also found the operating team at Spark to be top shelf and they’ve been a great help in getting set up and solving any problems I might have.

What is art for?:

That’s a big question.

Can I skip this one?

Actually, I think I might have an answer. In a word, art is for communication. To me, art exists to function as a kind of connective issue between the artist and the observer, expressing concepts, emotions, history and more. The artist uses their medium to communicate through the choices they make in the act of their expression. For example, in visual languages an artist might use elements such as scale, colours and composition to achieve an intangible effect whereby the observer is subconsciously interpreting more than the surface level details. Through this process of abstraction, an artist could use their work to convey deep emotional or thematic ideas to the observer that might be difficult to express any other way. If you look throughout history from cave paintings to modern Hollywood blockbusters there’s a kind of continuity of purpose, a desire to express something to the observer, and for that communication to be understood. I think in this way art finds its purpose.