When visual artist Deborah Moss moved from the suburbs to a 14 acre rural block in North Auckland she had no idea how profoundly it would transform her life.
The former art gallery director experienced a surge in creativity and inspiration from the nine acres of covenanted bush on her property which also has a glow worm grotto, lush gardens, a swimmable pond and paddocks filled with her family’s growing menagerie.
“I had always wanted to show my own art when I had a gallery but my job was so demanding. There was seldom time to create, so my focus was on promoting other people’s work,” she says.
Moss’ move coincided with her son starting school so suddenly she found herself able to decode more time to her artistic pursuits. Her creative work began with painting but now encompasses collage, sculpture and object art.
Two-and-a-half years in, the move has certainly paid off with 16 successful exhibitions and a solo show now under her belt. Moss has been a finalist in the Fieldays No. 8 Wire National Art Award; appeared on TV to discuss her sculpture in a Kaipara Coast Sculpture Gardens’ exhibit, and sold work through galleries and to private clients. Moss’ works are also now in private collections in the United States, Singapore, England and Australia.
With works now in private collections in the United States, Singapore, England and Australia, Moss credits her achievements to a strong work ethic, a very supportive family and a consuming desire to share her experience of living and working in nature with others. “My art studio is nestled at the base of majestic native bush and I’m surrounded by birdsong, beautiful wildlife and an expansive rural view which inspires me every day.”
A keen observer and prolific photographer, she draws upon a catalogue of visual notes to create abstract and semi-abstract art and typically works in series. “I generally begin with a point of enquiry and research prior to beginning pieces but space is allowed for intuitive, gestural marks to play alongside more deliberate symbolic motifs. Often external themes collide with psychological explorations to become ‘interior-scapes’ on my chosen medium.”
Recently, Moss’ love of nature and artistic success has prompted a new initiative that she calls ‘planting hope’. Every time that she sells a work at $100 or more, she plants a native tree. “We’re regenerating land around our pond and it’s so rewarding every time a new plant goes in the ground. I’m so grateful to be doing something I love and it’s a really meaningful way of combining two passions. We’ve seen such a big difference since planting began and I’m excited about watching the transformation continue.”
You can see more of Moss’ work on her website, www.deborahmossart.com.
