Artist Sandra Moore works in several mediums, most often clay and photography. She is a member of the Associated Artists of Pittsburgh and The Pittsburgh Society of Artists, and also teaches classes to children and adults. Her work can be viewed in the permanent collections of The Pittsburgh Public Schools and The Neighborhood Academy, and is part of numerous private collections.

“I throw my forms on a wheel and fire them without glaze using a bare clay technique called horsehair raku. Building multiple forms from different clay bodies for one piece lets me blend pink, yellow ocher, and neutral colors together. The highly burnished forms take a month or longer to create. After the forms are burnished, they are bisque and gold fired. The final phase is the primal creative experience for me. It is a very fast and fluid process. The kiln is raised to 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. I watch for heat radiant cues on the ware to pick the exact moment to stop the firing and immediately reduce with horsehair. I am drawn to the intimate and painterly approach of horsehair reduction. The carbon from the hair embeds into the burnished layers of the clay resulting in translucent planes of line and smoke in the surface.”

“The photographs are images of the tidal pools and estuaries from Maine to Key West. When I am photographing I feel the awe and grandeur of our fragile world. I am deeply concerned about the negative effects that humans have on our environment. By documenting small overlooked moments, I hope to share with others the beauty that is all around us.

I use a Nikon D-90 and a Karl Zeiss, Makro Planar 2/100m lens to capture small moments and make them bigger than life. I will work in a small area during different lighting situations for days. Hundreds of photos are taken in different focal planes representing the waters depths. I love being spontaneous during this process too; it enables me to see things that are unexpected. A big bonus is when a creature visits for long periods of time in close proximity to me. The building of the digital compilations is fluid and I feel very connected to the process sorting through my photo files to build the final image.

My work intends to bring humans and nature closer together harmoniously, expressing beauty in every microcosm.”

Link: Sandra’s website
Link: Sandra’s Instagram

Upcoming Exhibitions:
Pennsylvania State Museum, Art of The State, 2021
Hoyt Center for the Arts, Gift Shop (on going)