Art & Design blog

Born in Lancaster, Amy Moffat is a London based artist who studied at Wimbledon College of Art. Since graduating in 2008, Moffat has exhibited across the UK in Berkshire, Liverpool, London and Oxford where she had her first Solo show in 2011. Moffat was also one of the finalists of Saatchi’s 4 New Sensations in 2008 and a short film about her work was made for Channel 4.

At what age did you start to take an interest in the field you work in?

A lot of my earliest memories involve building things and drawing things. I remember helping my dad build our garden wall and garage, I knew what cement was from about the age of 4! I used to draw a lot after school, my brothers are much older than me so I had to occupy myself – drawing engrossed me from a very young age. At first I wanted to be a fashion designer, then a set designer (then a F1 driver!) but after taking a Foundation Course at Blackpool & Fylde College when I was 18, I decided I’d like to keep my options open and ended up doing a Fine Art degree at Wimbledon.

What medium do you most enjoying working in?

Since being at Wimbledon I have used oil on linen and I’ve continued to use these materials predominantly since graduating, although I use them in much different ways now. I became frustrated with painting and with image, mainly with the types of paintings being shown in contemporary galleries in London and the types of images used. As a result I work in a more three-dimensional way but I still remain within the vernacular of painting. I most enjoy drawing though, with anything – pen, pencil, ink, oil, wax.

What’s your favourite colour?

Green

What is your favourite cuisine?

If I had to live off one type of food for the rest of my life it would be Italian food. I love Italy and I don’t think of the place without the food! I also love Japanese food.

Do you listen to music when working and if so what?

Yes, I have a broad taste in music but I tend to listen to techno and electro mainly. I love Four Tet, Dominik Eulberg, John Talabot, Gold Panda. At the minute I’m enjoying a lot of James Blake, The XX and Haim after Glasto! I listen to Radio 6 if I’m in the studio on a weekend; Giles Peterson plays some awesome stuff.

Name three creatives who have inspired you over the past ten years?

The film A Single Man had a great impact on me and my work, it was a right time, right place kind of thing really. Some of the dialogue, of course from Christopher Isherwood’s book, really struck chords with me. Visually it’s a beautifully shot film, so I would have to say Tom Ford for his direction and bringing Christopher Isherwood to my attention.

Norman, my tutor on Foundation course at Blackpool was incredibly enthusiastic about drawing, he taught me a lot about observation. I loved his classes and lectures.

Patti Smith because she’s a true inspiration for anybody dedicated to a creative passion.

Have you got any exciting projects/commissions coming up in the near future?

I’ve just been part of the The Exchange Project at APT in Deptford, curated by Claire Undy as well as the SOLO Award at WW Gallery.

Who would be your ideal client for a future commission?

I’m open to commissions from all sorts of people, but in particular I would love to be involved in set design, whether for visual merchandising, theatre, music events – collaborations between artists and commercial entities, such as the fashion industry and the music industry, are becoming more common and the blurring of the lines between them is an exciting area.

If you weren’t an artist what other career would you have chosen?

I wish I was musically talented! But anything that involves travel and arts is right up my street!