I am inspired by Jim Moir's art and his delightful television programme. Above is his wonderful painting of a flock of lapwings. I frequently encountered these enchanting birds in Scotland when I was a child. I love his use of yellow to add a glow to the sky.
Jim Moir's television series is shown on Sky Arts. He creates images "live" on the show in his large, brightly lit studio. For anybody familiar with watercolours, his confident style will be inspiring. He creates large pictures and uses few special techniques - adding salt, dry brushing. He clearly explains each process without treating the audience as idiots.
He is also a keen, experienced bird watcher.
Visit the site above to see his birds as well as other contemporary pieces. Most will know that Jim had a very successful career as the comedian Vic Reeves. His painting often reflect his comic imagination.
Widely celebrated for his irreverent wit, glorious eccentricity and tremendous creativity, Jim Moir attended the Sir John Cass Art School in London at the age of 22 before becoming a household name in British comedy for tv work including Vic Reeves Big Night Out, Shooting Stars, Vic Reeves Turner Prize Moments, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer, Coronation Street and House of Fools.
Art has always remained his first love and his original, eccentric and mischievous artwork has been exhibited at institutions including the Royal Academy in London.
The anarchy and wonderful eccentricity for which he is synonymous is evident in his bold, vibrant and often surreal artworks which merge his interest in the natural world and his witty imagination.
‘Moir is a compulsive artist, recording his thoughts and observations with abandon. The imagined and experienced worlds are chronicled in a prolific outpouring of ideas and thoughts beyond everyday life.’
Calvin Winner, February 2018
‘Jim doesn’t just see birds, he looks at them, so intensely that he understands them. That transcends painting or art – it’s not about reproduction, it’s about translation. About being able to speak bird with paint.’
Chris Packham
‘The Warhol of bird painting’
Jonathan Jones, The Guardian
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