NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Sept. 1, 2009
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Ann Dee Lee
Public Information Director
Oklahoma Arts Council
(405) 521-2931
anndee@arts.ok.gov
TULSA ARTIST’S WORK TO BE EXHIBITED AT STATE CAPITOL
“Dog Show” exhibit featured in East Gallery
Oklahoma City, OK – For many people, the animals we own become family members rather than just family pets and losing one can be just as painful. Matthew Moffett started to paint when one of his dogs died of a sudden aneurism and he wanted to commemorate his companion. When he wanted to memorialize his lost friend, he searched for an artist to create a portrait. Not satisfied with the available options for a pet portrait, Moffett decided he would give it a try himself.
The result was not only a portrait which captured the qualities of his beloved dog, but a whole new career was discovered as well. To date, Moffett has painted over 1,000 pet portraits that are included in collections all over the world, including those of President Gerald Ford and former OU Coach Barry Switzer. His work is not limited to pet portraits; he is an accomplished painter of still-life, cityscapes, and landscapes as well, and he is the owner of a successful artist studio in Tulsa.
Curated by the Oklahoma Arts Council, Moffett’s most recent exhibit Dog Show will be on display in the first floor of Capitol in the East Gallery from August 31 to November 1. The East Gallery is open daily from 8:30-5:00.
An opening reception is scheduled to be held in the East Gallery on Thursday, September 3rd from 5 to 7 p.m.
A former elementary art teacher, Moffett is currently the director and co-founder of the Tulsa Girls Art School Project. This non-profit organization provides art instruction and supplies for underprivileged girls in urban elementary schools so that they can develop their own art style and have shows of their art work. All students manage the funds from their show sales in micro-bank accounts within the organization, from which they can buy personal art supplies, pay for shows or supplies and/or college savings bonds for their future studies.
Moffett received a bachelor’s degree at the University of Tulsa and studied Spanish at the Universidad de Malaga, Spain. With no formal art training, Moffett has developed a recognizable style of loose realism marked by bold colors and sweeping lines. He describes his paintings as visual prayers and says there is deep meaning within every work he creates.
“Painting should capture the viewer and take them on a journey,” Moffett says. “I believe that art is for everybody. Passion for art is something that we nourish and relish as a child and seem to lose in our adulthood. I am lucky because a series of events led me back to creating art and being an artist.”
For more information, contact Ann Dee Lee, Public Information Director, Oklahoma Arts Council, (405) 521-2931 or anndee@arts.ok.gov.
ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA ARTS COUNCIL
The Oklahoma Arts Council is a state agency whose mission is to improve lives through the arts by promoting and sustaining the development of a thriving arts environment, which is essential to quality of life, education and economic vitality for all Oklahomans.
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