Steve Moore’s show If These Walls Could Talk is so personal to Moore, the audience doesn’t even need him there to explain his artwork. A series of postcard-sized quick sketches line the wall portraying different faces and bodies, all taken from Moore’s own experiences.
The cozy space of Parentheses Gallery (2180 Gottingen Street), where the exhibit is displayed, fits in perfectly with the intimate feeling of Moore’s work. The feeling is very autobiographical and the sketches act as a visual version of a diary.
The most striking painting, in the middle of the gallery, is the massive family portrait called “Collection of the Artist”. Moore depicts members of his family at different points in time (he is a small boy in the portrait himself and his mother is even younger then him), contrasts black and white figures with people depicted in colour.
Moore’s focus is on people and his sketches are imperfect—in a realistic way. He leaves faces unfinished and excessively shades to bring attention to specific features. Moore's paintings tend to jump out more than his sketches. Specifically, “Donkey” and “Doo”, as these more vibrant paintings balance out the series of sketches.
