DANA POINT, Calif.—When Hyatt Moore reflects on the experiences that most profoundly shaped his life as an artist, he focuses on two main things.
The first is his marriage. The second is the Lord, whom he says changed his life.
“Those things changed the directions in my life, and all that had happened since then,” Moore told The Epoch Times.
Moore didn’t begin painting until he’d already established a creative career and shared an adventurous life with his wife, Anne. He credits his conversion to Christianity with giving him the inspiration to take the bold step.
The Moores first moved to Dana Point in 1969, after Hyatt accepted the role of art director for Surfer Magazine. A few years later, he converted to Christianity; not long after, he and his family began to travel the world, serving as representatives for Wycliff Bible Translators.
The gig lasted over 30 years.
Moore recalled the moment he knew he would dedicate the rest of his life to painting. While stopped at a Laguna Beach traffic signal in the mid 1990s, he stared closely into a nearby art gallery and began analyzing the paintings. That instant reignited his lifelong passion, he said.
“I looked in that gallery window, and I just thought right there from my car that I’m going to be a painter,” he said. “By that Christmas, my kids had given me some paints and brushes, and soon after that, a card table and our spare bedroom developed into Anne and I’s studio.”
He’s been painting ever since.
Moore still shares a studio with Anne, a printmaker with a different style. The two artists enjoy working together in their home, where the walls and shelves are filled with items brought back from far-off places, including chairs from Africa, knives from India, and knickknacks from Papua New Guinea.
“I would say my work is more impressionistic, while Anne’s is more calculated,” said Moore. “She is so keen on details within her work, where I am much more loose with my brushes.”
The duo have collaborated on several pieces. The works combine the elegant layers of Anne’s creations with Hyatt’s vibrant swatches of paint, depicting subjects ranging from still lifes to Tibetan refugees.
Moore said he finds inspiration to create art within the memories of his travels and through his daily life in Orange County. The couple has received worldwide commissions and had their art featured in local galleries throughout the United States.
“I always carry my sketchbook with me and draw the things that catch my eye. I even bring it with me to church,” said Hyatt with a playful smile. “In some cases, the sketches will eventually turn into my paintings.”
“Our work is also available online, but this experience allows the art buyer to see who is behind the painting,” Moore said, encouraging other artists to do the same thing with their homes.
