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| Marion Moir |
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Marion Moir
watercolors
newport
They make for interesting roommates: charismatic puffins, sly young cowboys and ballet dancers, all living in a pink house in Newport. They’re subjects for Marion Moir, a watercolor painter who creates by the ocean and sells at the Newport Saturday Farmers’ Market. Surrounding these personalities are exuberant bouquets of flowers and work-worn bundles of fishing floats. Moir paints what she sees, and what she loves, about living in Oregon.
Originally from the ranching country of California, she landed in Newport 35 years ago. Although she had no background in art, she was inspired by a local painter, and enrolled in a class that he taught. Over time, she took workshops and classes in Oregon, California and Japan, and began to forge an admirable career in watercolors, watercolor pencils, acrylics and pastels.
She photographs the comical black-and-white puffins at the Oregon Coast Aquarium, then paints them in her Nye Beach studio. They’re available in limited edition prints as well as a whimsical line of notecards with puffins skiing, surfing or sporting an Easter outfit.
She’s also known for her seascapes and bayfront scenes; when the weather allows, she paints en plein aire, to capture the immediacy of the moment on paper. And while Newport has left an indelible stamp on Moir, she’s returned the favor — her style can be found in paintings of the fishermen and buildings in Nye Beach, the logo of the farmers’ market and the 2002 poster for the Newport Seafood and Wine Festival, among many others.
She’s taught and shown all over the country, from Arizona to Montana and Hawaii to New York City. She has published many limited edition prints, and her paintings are included in private and corporate collections throughout the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe. She makes perpetual birthday calendars, canvas bags and T-shirts as well as limited edition prints and originals. In her spare time, she illustrates books.
Although she’s best known for her ocean works, Moir has a sizeable catalogue of rodeo and cowboy scenes, drawn from her experiences in childhood and on her brother’s ranch. She’s also taken her artist’s eye behind the scenes at the Newport Performing Arts Center, for a series on the theatre.
Moir’s interests also include Japanese art forms like gyotaku (fish rubbings) and chop (Japanese signatures), which she explored while working as the coordinator of the sister city program between Newport and Monbetsu, Hokkaido. Those travels have inspired her latest work, a series of decorative Asian tiles, which will be ready just in time for market season.
At the market, her booth is easy to spot. It’s the one with dancers, flowers, sea birds and one red-headed artist, adding a splash of color no matter what the weather.
Moir holds classes each week in her studio, at the corner of Olive and Brook streets in Newport. For details and hours, call 541-961-1295.
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