All Creatures Great & Small - ONE SOLD
By Grenville Moore
Original artworks
Framed/unframed
Ratty - Acrylic on wooden box panel - unframed - £475 - SOLD
Image size: H: 40cm x W: 30cm
White Boar on Oak Leaves - Acrylic on linen - unframed - £675
Image size: H: 80cm x W: 80cm
Blue Boar on Oak Leaves - Acrylic on linen - £675
Image size: H: 50cm x W: 40cm; framed size: H: 630cm x W: 530cm
Grenville Moore makes a splendid job of capturing the spirit and likeness of almost any creature you care to mention. In this new trio for summer 2024, he shows off his ability to work with a small rodent as well as two wild boars - all three being creatures often designated, by humans, to be parasitic or unwelcome.
Grenville imbues each animal with presence, personality and poise. While Greek, Phoenician, and Persian mythology often portrayed boars as fierce, sometimes evil, others showed them as brave, intelligent and powerful animals, which is the way this artist sees them too.
Meanwhile, modern ecologists also have a positive view: some believe that the niche occupied by wild boars, and the ecological functions they perform, mean there are no other animals among British fauna that do the useful things they do.
The White Boar, however, has more majestic origins as far as human regard is concerned: it was the personal device or badge of the English King Richard III of England and it has even more ancient Norwegian royal roots.
Domestic rats are descended from the brown rat or Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus). They, too, when not causing problems for humans, are intelligent, highly social animals and make incredibly rewarding pets, forming close bonds with human companions – as well as other rats. Grenville's sensitiive painting forces us to regard them differently and appreciate their finer points and appeal.
As ever, the artist has paid loving attention to their features, the fur and the gestures.
ABOUT GRENVILLE MOORE
Grenville is an accomplished and distinctive painter working from his idyllic garden studio in a small village on the Warwickshire/Oxfordshire border.
After many years when illustration, design and cartoon strips were his hobby, he became a specialist decorator and muralist and completed assignments and commissions in homes throughout the Cotswolds and London. He also wrote and illustrated articles for two national publications. Among his projects were a large painted vase for the Ralph Lauren store in Barcelona and various items of painted furniture.
These decorative and interior design skills remain with him - and very much on show - in his paintings of wild animals, many of which are enhanced and embellished with backgrounds of rich tapestry motifs, Arcadian glades and medieval-style foliage. His love of heraldry also shines through in clever motifs and touches of symbolism.
A trip to Kenya first sparked his enchantment with wild animals and birds and inspired his current, very popular work which specialises in dramatic animals portraits, often large scale and close-up. Detail and accuracy are key. He is passionate about telling the story of each creature, accentuating the unusual and celebrating the wildness, dignity and soul of each animal. The rich narrative of the painting is often further enhanced by its elaborate or traditional framing, matching perfectly with the inventive, decorative backdrops.
Grenville's work is in private collections in America, Russia and throughout the UK.