The Shine of the Sun
“Here comes the Sun,” not Beatle, George Harrison’s, lyrics but in the form of masterfully hand carved wooden masterpieces by local artist Michael Moore. Starting life at the edge of the wild side Michael grew up in a small beach town in Connecticut sandwiched between the mighty Atlantic Ocean and a majestic east coast forest. The area, soundly under the influence of our country’s first settler’s, is represented in the Colonial era architecture as time is marked in the engravings on the granite headstones in the local cemetery. Michael grew to appreciate, not only the natural world, but also the artistic contributions of our Colonial ancestors and their impact on local culture.
Michael’s family also grounded his creativity in tradition. His mother was an accomplished artist of both oil paintings and pastels. Michael’s oldest brother found his creative edge in the genera of commercial art and illustration. Both contributed to Michael’s early love for capturing the beauty of their coastal community. It wasn’t until high school that Michael actually began to see the possibility of creativity as a powerful force in his life. A week after graduation, in 1976, Michael left Connecticut to seek his future in sunny California in pursuit of a career in photography. On the way west he stopped off in Arizona to visit friends, and as Michael puts it, “One thing lead to another and I never left.”
Today, Michael works for a custom metal fabrication studio in Black Canyon City. One of the benefits of the job is he has the opportunity to use his artistic skills and keen eye for design in some “very cool artistic creations.” During his off time Michael creates his uniquely, one-of-a-kind wooden suns, sun crosses, and abstract pieces in his home studio. Michael, again, credits a family member for his initial start with woodcarving. His stepson shared some woodcarving techniques he uses in creating his own art with Michael and that’s all it took. Michael fell in love with the process of work with wood and had been pushing the limits on his skill set ever since. He said his idea to focus on suns and crosses “came in the middle of the night laying in bed. I spent the next several days creating my first piece and was thrilled with the outcome.” Since that point Michael has made his wooden suns and crosses his signature art. He has created pieces as large as 5 feet in diameter and is looking for a “commission challenge” to push the limit to 10 feet in diameter or larger.
Michael Moore’s original work can be seen at Arizona Native Gift Shop, 34361 S. Old Black Canyon Highway in Black Canyon City, AZ, 623-703-9583. Stop by and perhaps purchase one for your home, office or as a gift. Better yet, contact Michael for a commissioned piece of your own at [email protected] 623-218-3214. In the meantime, “May the Sun bring you new energy by day…” Apache Blessing.
Contact Arts Columnist, Shea Stanfield, on [email protected].