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Kristin Moore holds an MFA from Otis College of Art & Design in Los Angeles and a BA in Art from St. Edward’s University in Austin. Kristin’s paintings can be found in collections across the globe. Solo exhibitions include Ferrara Showman Gallery in New Orleans, Dimmitt Contemporary in Austin, and Bolsky Gallery in Los Angeles. Select group exhibitions include Good Mother Gallery in Los Angeles, Woaw Gallery in Singapore, and Laurent Marthaler in Montreux, Switzerland. Kristin currently lives and works in Dallas, TX.
Hi Kristin! It’s a pleasure to sit down with you! First question that I always ask. How does a regular day look like for you in Dallas?.
Kristin: When I wake up I immediately need coffee. Before heading to the studio, I like to try to get in some yoga or time at the gym; it helps wake me up and gets my body energized. I will usually paint from noon until 6pm each weekday. In the evenings, I will have dinner, and watch a movie or TV show, and I’m usually in bed by 10. Weekends are more fluid — I hang out with friends, go to the movie theater, take a quick trip, or paint if I’m working on a specific exhibition or project deadline.
I’m curious, growing up in Houston, what kind of kid were you? What did you enjoy doing, and how did you spend your time?
Kristin: I was fortunate to grow up in a city where museums were easily accessible. I wasn’t the athletic type – I never played sports – but whenever our class took field trips to the art museum or the zoo, that is when I lit up. I struggled with the structure of the classroom; sitting still, staying quiet, keeping my focus weren’t the easiest for me. The art classroom was different, it felt like a safe, creative space where I could actually breathe. It was the one place in school I did not feel like I had to tone myself down or follow structured rules.
So when did you start painting, and when did you start taking being an artist seriously?
Kristin: In high school, I had an art teacher who let me skip lunch to hang out in her classroom, paint, and listen to my iPod. That was the first time I had something close to personal studio time, and that shifted things for me and allowed me to take art more seriously. She eventually took us on a class trip to New York to tour art schools, and that is when I realized art was a potential career path I could take. I ended up studying Art at St. Edward’s in Austin, and by the time I finished undergrad, I knew I wanted to pursue it professionally. I spent the next year working in a restaurant in Austin, painting in my free time, and applying to MFA programs. I got into Otis College of Art + Design and moved to Los Angeles in August 2014 and that is when things really began for me.
Ok Kristin, with these next series of questions, I will try to delve into your work as best as possible. So, you’ve previously talked about places holding human experience. What’s a spot—maybe from your past or a family story—that feels so alive to you it’s almost a character in your work?
Kristin: That place would be Marfa, Texas. I first passed through Marfa over a decade ago, on a drive from Los Angeles back home to Austin. I had lived in Texas my whole life, but somehow had never stopped through until then. I had no idea that visit would spark such a deep connection to a place and introduce me to what would become one of the biggest muses in my work.
Throughout my time in California, I continued to stop in Marfa on my drives back and forth. Marfa became a kind of refuge for me. A place where I could shake off the edginess of Los Angeles and reconnect with something quieter, more rooted. Over the years, I have been lucky to form friendships with people in the community, and it has come to feel like a second home. There is a very specific energy in the landscape out there; it is vast, quiet, and grounding. It stretches out like the ocean and every time I am there I feel a sense of peace that is hard to find anywhere else.
Your work’s got this cinematic vibe—Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, Hoyte van Hoytema as muses. What’s a film moment that’s ever made you grab a brush, and how did it shape what you painted?
Kristin: Two moments in film immediately come to mind as inspirations. The first is the final scene of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette (2006), where the king and queen are being escorted out of Versailles by horse drawn carriage during the French Revolution. She gazes out the window at the golden sunrise over the gardens, there is a haunting stillness, an aura of beauty and finality. The lighting in this scene, the composition, and the mood — they are all deeply poignant.
The other is a more recent film, Jordan Peele’s Nope (2022), which is a visual masterpiece in its own right. Hoyte van Hoytema’s cinematography captures specific nocturnal color tones that are spot on. He creates a true visceral and immersive viewing experience with the night scenes in that film. It is the kind of visual storytelling I find myself returning to again and again as inspiration for my color palette.
So what is it about landscapes that resonates so well with you, and not portraiture or objects for example?
Kristin: I believe there is something powerful in the human connection to places. That emotional pull is what keeps drawing me back to painting landscapes. With each piece, I aim to create a visual experience that is not just seen, but felt. I want my paintings to be immersive. That feeling often comes through in the nostalgic imagery I reference and the composition spacing I use. I paint places that hold personal meaning for me, and in doing so, I hope that sense of connection extends outward; inviting viewers to find their own memories, emotions, or stories within the work.
You’ve moved from oil to acrylic, painting on wood panels in a small home studio. How’s that shift messed with—or freed up—your creative flow?
Kristin: I miss painting with oils all the time but the mediums and fumes just were not sustainable when I was working out of a small home studio. I have had dedicated studio spaces outside of my home off and on over the last four years, but I never fully made the switch back to oil. Acrylics have their advantages: the fast drying time is great in some ways but it also makes certain techniques more challenging. When I am painting my smooth sky gradients, I have to move extremely quickly, keep a spray bottle nearby, and stay on top of the paint to make the blending smooth. Fine detail work can also be tricky with acrylics. I am constantly pushing the medium, trying to get it to behave more like oils. So really, both have their strengths and limitations, it has just a matter of adapting to make sure my work is executed to my standards.
Leaving gallery jobs to go full-time artist in 2020—that’s a leap. What’s the scariest doubt you wrestled with that year, and who or what got you over it?
Kristin: Since going full time in 2020, for me, one of the biggest ongoing challenges is managing the business side of being an artist. That includes staying connected with my collectors, managing my PR, nurturing relationships with my galleries, and building long-term value in my work. It is a constant balance between creation & discipline. I want to be a full time artist for the rest of my life, so it is important for me to approach it with intention and make it sustainable. I feel incredibly fortunate to have loyal collectors and to collaborate with amazing galleries around the world. This really is my dream in life, and I am doing everything I can to keep it thriving for the long haul.
You’ve said painting is how you process the world. What’s a time life hit you hard—loss, love, whatever—and the canvas became your way to breathe again?
Kristin: Painting is my lifeblood—it is the one constant in my life I can return to, no matter what is happening around me. It is there when I am overwhelmed, when I am joyful, when I am anxious or heartbroken. The act of painting grounds me; it pulls me out of the noise and brings me back to myself. It is how I find clarity in the chaos. Anytime I feel a spiral coming on, I head to the studio and drop into that creative zone. It is not just about making something—it is about breathing again, feeling steady, and reconnecting with the present.
With that in mind, can you walk me through your creative process from beginning to end result?
Kristin: My creative process is deeply rooted in my travels. I am incredibly fortunate that my work takes me across the globe, allowing me to not only explore new places but also collaborate with galleries worldwide. When I travel, it is never just about observing, it is about immersing myself in each location. Whether I’m hiking through the landscape, connecting with locals, or indulging in the regional cuisine, I make it a point to be present in the experience. From a young age, I was always inspired by Anthony Bourdain; his curiosity, respect for different cultures, and sense of wonder have shaped how I hope to approach the world. I understand how rare and privileged these opportunities to travel are, and I strive to carry that spirit of wanderlust and discovery into my paintings. Back home in the studio, my work stems from my archive of travel photos, writings, and personal memories of a location, which then evolve into a series of landscape paintings. My painting subjects started with Texas and California, expanded across the U.S., and is now reaching international destinations, with Switzerland being the latest chapter.
Can you also tell me about your use of symbolism?
Kristin: In my work, I often use familiar iconography to evoke a sense of nostalgia, particularly in my highway paintings. This connection grew out of my time living in Los Angeles, away from my home state of Texas. I found myself missing famous road trip stops like the Whataburger or Buc-ee’s. They were everyday symbols that were part of my world in Texas. Over time, I started to link signage with that feeling of nostalgia, and it naturally expanded from there. Now, even a land feature or a sky color can carry symbolic weight for my work. What I love most is how my work creates a point of recognition for viewers. It is not just about what I see—it is about how they connect to it too, taking that shared experience and making it their own outside of the studio or gallery.
How do you approach color?
Kristin: Color is everything to me; it is the heartbeat of my work. When I first moved to LA, I was focused on creating highly detailed, technical graphite drawings in black and white. But as I spent more time in both LA and Marfa, I realized that to truly capture the richness of the world around me, I needed to embrace color. That is when I made the switch to painting, and it completely transformed my approach to expression.
Outside of art, what’s something you’re obsessed with right now—maybe a hobby, a show, or even a food—that keeps you grounded or inspired?
Kristin: Lately, I have been obsessed with rewatching old TV shows. There is something uniquely comforting about revisiting a familiar TV series and picking up on details you missed the first time around. Right now, I am wrapping up my second run through The Sopranos, and I recently did the same with Mad Men and Game of Thrones. It is like visiting an old friend, with fresh eyes, and each rewatch adds a new layer of depth and appreciation.
Ok Kristin, now to something totally different. In a parallel universe who would you be? and what would you be doing?
Kristin: I would be a flight attendant. My background in hospitality, especially my time working in restaurants, played a big role in helping me build my art career, so I know the value of hard work and working long hours. Plus, with my love of traveling, it would be the perfect way to keep exploring the world without breaking the bank. I love connecting with people so that would also be the icing on the cake.
Can you tell me a story about a time when a connection with someone had a big impact on you?
Kristin: One of my best friends from college had a huge impact on me. She inspired me to study abroad in Germany to fulfill my foreign language credit at St. Edward’s. Looking back, that experience truly changed my life. It ignited a passion for travel and new cultures, and it introduced me to a foreign language that I am still actively learning today. Beyond that, she is also a yoga teacher, and thanks to her, I have been practicing yoga regularly since 2018. It is funny how something as simple as sitting next to someone new on your first day of English class Freshman year can lead to such life-changing experiences.
What qualities do you find most important in the people you choose to spend time with?
Kristin: The people I choose to spend time with are those who value hospitality and having a curiosity about the world. I deeply value consideration for others and their unique experiences, whether it’s something as simple as a polite “please” and “thank you” or taking the time to listen to someone else’s struggle. I am also drawn to interesting, creative people—artists, chefs, yoga teachers, musicians—and I’m lucky to have friends and colleagues who inspire me with their creativity and passions.
Anybody you look up to?
Kristin: My grandmother who passed away in 2021. She could talk to and connect with anyone and loved to see the world. And also, Anthony Bourdain.
What motivates you?
Kristin: The world is so big and there is so much to see and so many people to meet. The desire to experience as much of that as I can while I am here is what motivates me to keep making art.