Ways of Knowing | Ricardo Moody

Could you introduce yourself and your background as a designer?

I grew up always having an interest in art, but it was primarily for drawing and painting. I’m a mostly self-taught artist and learned most of my skills from repetition, as well as by trial and error. I’m originally from Florida and pursued my undergrad in graphic design while in Denver, Colorado, where spent 11 years after high school. It wasn’t until about 8 years ago that I began to take art more seriously, producing it on a more regular basis.

Now, I teach art full-time, as a middle and high school teacher, at a small private school in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

We’ve seen your lovely art of “Ways of Knowing” on your website. Could you describe a bit about this project?

“Ways of Knowing” began a few years ago as a way for me to understand myself, as well as consider the way others tend to hold on to beauty and particular experiences.

I think we do it in a lot of ways but one way is through collecting mementoes to fill our homes. They ultimately remind us of a place or experience.

Where did you find inspiration to pursue and develop “Ways of Knowing”?

I tend to daydream a lot! In my paintings, I’m thinking about what sort of objects and color I associate with specific moments.

The rooms I paint aren’t necessarily real places but are made up rooms that talk about a real time and place. A lot of the actual inspiration comes from my time living out west and traveling.

What general process do you undergo to produce these graphics?

I usually think about a piece I want to produce for about a month or so before I move on from my sketch book to the canvas. When thinking about colors, I like bright contrasting colors but I’m also considering mood in the work. The colors sometimes change after I get them painted on… it sometimes evolves a bit as I go but for the most part it stays close to the original sketch.

What other projects are you currently pursuing?

Because I work as a teacher I get some pretty good time off. (ha ha!) A couple years ago, I had the opportunity to paint a mural in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m hoping I get the opportunity to do another one somewhere this summer.

Other than that I like photography, but I’m really just an amateur at it. At some point, I really want to incorporate my photos into a separate series of paintings.

How would you describe your style and general aesthetic?

I like to use color and patterns in my work and I reference a number of artists as well, but they are all different and paint different things. I’m not sure if I fit a certain mold… I just want to paint and make good art that people can relate to whatever that looks like.

Follow Ricardo on Instagram @reeecardo.