Fine Arts by Sandra

On Clay

I throw my forms on a wheel and fire them without glaze using a bare clay technique called horsehair raku. Building multiple forms from different clay bodies for one piece, lets me blend pink, yellow ocher and neutral color together. The highly burnished forms take a month or longer to create. After the forms are burnished, they are bisque and gold fired.

The final phase is the primal creative experience for me. It is a very fast and fluid process. The kiln is raised to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. I watch for heat radiant cues on the ware to pick the exact moment to stop the firing and immediately reduced with Horsehair. I am drawn to the intimate and painterly approach of horsehair reduction. The carbon from the hair embeds into the burnished layers of the clay resulting in translucent planes of line and smoke in the surface.

On Photography

Inspired by my love for swimming, snorkeling and nature, I look towards the ocean as a creative muse. My images are of the tidal pools and estuaries from Maine to Key West and the Black Sea coast in Europe. When I am photographing, I feel the awe and grandeur of our fragile world. I am deeply concerned about the negative effects that humans have on our environment. By documenting small overlooked moments, I hope to share with others the beauty that is all around us.

The shooting process I have developed is from observations I have made over the years. My goal is to achieve a balance between logic and imagination and the ebb and flow of the natural world. I use a Nikon D-90 and a Karl Zeiss, Makro Planar 2/100m lens to capture small moments and make them bigger than life. I will work in a small area during different lighting situations for days. Hundreds of photos are taken in different focal planes representing the waters depths. I love being spontaneous during this process too; it enables me to see things I have never seen. A big bonus is when a creature visits for long periods of time in close proximity to me.

There are three photos in this portfolio that are straight shots with no photoshop changes. These works influence the digitally compiled pieces and create pause while viewing all of the work together. I like to blow the images up to 30X40 inches for this impressive grouping.

In the News

Let's Talk About Creating Horse Hair Raku (Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

Lugene Bruno and Sandra Moore (Wise Women Life)

Sweetwater photo exhibit shows images don't have to reflect real life (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)

Art in the Garden 2018 https://www.instagram.com/p/BmjOsbAgDCt/

Featured Artist for the Associated Artist of Pittsburgh

https://www.aapgh.org/featured-artist/2021/10/31/sandra-moore-november-2021

Westmorland Museum 2019 (Link not working) https://view.joomag.com/in-shaler/M0795292001461095568

https://www.persadartforchange.com/artist/Sandra-Moore

Selected Shows

• Westmoreland Museum 2013 for the Biannual

• Westmorland Arts and Heritage Festival 2007-2022

• Associated Artist 99th and 100th annual at The Carnegie Museum of Art

• Associated Artist 2019 at the Westmorland Museum of Art

• The Pennsylvania State Museum, State of Art 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 exhibits

Selected awards

• 2020, “The State of Art” exhibition at The Pennsylvania State Museum, I received First Place Craft Award

• Received a PA Council of the Arts Grant for “The Clay Project” in 2019

• Received “The Craft Award” at Westmoreland Art Nationals 2013, 2015, 2016,2017,2018,2019, (2) 2020 and 2022.

• NCECA 2012 I was awarded the “Grand Prize Bailey Pottery Ceramic Teacher Award”

• Carnegie Museum of Pittsburgh, Associated Artist 100 Annual 2011 Exhibition, I received the “Friends of Art Purchase Award”

• Awarded a Heinz Endowment Grant 2008 for a residency at The Neighborhood Academy

• Awarded the Emerging Artist Award in 2006, for “Three Rivers Arts Festival”