Tag: Growth

The Art of Film

Intentional Artistic Evolution

Grand Providentia United

Brief Artist’s Biography – My Transition from Fine Art and Commercial Sculpture into the Art of Filmmaking

In an effort to keep this post brief, I’ve included a select number of pictures to spark your interest! If you’re excited to explore more amazing artwork and discover the fascinating processes behind limited-edition sculpture castings, I invite you to visit the new page on this site! Check out the VISUAL ART PORTFOLIO page to enjoy the wonders of Moore Art.

In 1969, I proudly won my first award for art at the age of six. The thrill of the award and the joy of recognition inspired me to embark on a lifelong journey of artistic exploration, fueling my dream to “become a famous artist” as I grew older. Many believe we choose our life paths when we enter this world, and while I may not have understood that as a child, over the past forty years of striving, struggling, and persevering, I’ve come to wholeheartedly embrace this belief. Today, I view purposeful creativity as my higher calling—my ultimate reason for being here. Expressing myself through the creation of visual art feels like a natural extension of who I am.

Yes, that’s me. I’m third from the left with the wide-striped shirt. And about fifty-five years after I won that award at Hope Elementary School in Hope, RI, I was awarded a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah, GA.

Whether I’m creating custom art for a client, manufacturing a product for an international corporation, or using all of my skills and talents to express a powerful artistic vision from within, I always feel like I’m exactly where I’m meant to be, doing precisely what I’m meant to be doing. Without reservation, I embrace the life of an artist, as I truly can’t imagine living any other way. As I’ve navigated through this vibrant journey in the visual arts and skilled labor industries, I have consistently prioritized the enrichment of knowledge and hands-on experience. During the 8+ years I spent in college classrooms and studios, my intention was always to remain open-minded, stay present, and soak in as much wisdom from my professors and classmates as I was able to absorb. In my younger days, during moments of uncertainty, I questioned my own motivations for pursuing my passion for creation. Despite some naysayers in the peanut gallery suggesting that I’m “… just looking for attention,” I know that isn’t the case. I’ve realized that attracting attention to artwork requires much more energy and persistence than the pleasurable act of creating it. I treasure the process of making art so much that promoting it often feels secondary. At this stage in my journey, I’ve come to understand that I study, practice, and create art as an adventurous way to explore the truth of who I am. When I’m immersed in creation, I feel more like myself than at any other time. And so, I joyfully persist.

An artist smiling while working on a colorful art piece in a studio.
During the eleven years that I was Owner and Creative Director at S.M.art Castings & Sculpture Services, LLC and Moore Art Expressions, I was constantly learning new art production processes and materials. I was also learning critical business management skills. In retrospect I see that the most valuable lesson I learned is that I am just as comfortable leading as I am following when it comes to the creative process.

Recently, I’ve been asked by both close friends and new acquaintances about my journey to the Savannah College of Art and Design at this timely moment in my creative exploration. I firmly believe this has been the long-term plan all along. It was by intentional design that I earned my first college degree at the Ringling College of Art and Design in 2000. My decision to apply to their BFA program in Computer Animation back in 1996 was a strategic move aimed at building momentum toward the live-action movie industry. Following the groundbreaking success of films like Jurassic Park and Independence Day, which showcased extraordinary VFX sequences, the computer animation industry was booming, and I was eager to secure my front-row seat on this exhilarating ride. While my true passion lay in creating practical SFX—such as model making, monster crafting, and lifelike animatronics—I recognized that mastering computer art would significantly enhance my transition into the movie model shop.

In my fourth year of studies at the Ringling College of Art and Design, I was required to develop and produce a thesis animation project from concept through completion. The project required the understanding and implementation of nearly all of the same principles and considerations used to produce live action films, including casting actors (character design and development), production design (digital props and environments), cinematography (virtual camera placement and shot design), lighting considerations (virtual light systems), sound design (digital sound effects and music score), and SFX (in this case VFX particle systems for flames and explosions). Learning and utilizing Maya (a premiere computer animation software) to produce my RCAD thesis project was an extraordinary experience. The RCAD animation program’s guidelines only allowed us 60 seconds of computer-generated animation with title sequence and end credits included. I learned that 60 seconds is a lot of time when you have to fill it with dynamic imagery and a compelling storyline. Above is a still frame from “Element of Desire”, my thesis animation about a pyromaniac’s obsession with fire.
To the left and to the right in this composition are single frame renders of environments that I designed and digitally modeled in Maya for “Buster’s Christmas Wish”, a 3D animated Christmas Special I worked on at Aston Worldwide Entertainment after graduating from RCAD. The central image is from a 3D Computer Modeling class project I rendered while at the Ringling College of Art and Design.
When Aston closed down unexpectedly, I did some freelance work for a few weeks while I was in job search mode. These are custom digital designs (3D models) I created for StarDuster’s Workshop. They were designs intended to be sculpted in real-world materials, molded and cast in fiberglass. These themed fiberglass “skins” would then be retrofitted onto pre-existing replication devices (injection molding machines). Some of my readers may have seen these replication devices out in the real world at zoos or theme parks. A child puts their money in the machine, and they watch while the machine produces a small commemorative wax/plastic sculpture by way of injection molding.

Life in the arts has provided me with invaluable lessons in flexibility and adaptability when faced with the unexpected. After an enriching two years in the computer animation field and witnessing the closure of the animation studio where I had been working, I enthusiastically redirected my career toward fine art sculpture production by mastering the fascinating process of lost wax bronze casting at Bronzart Foundry in Sarasota, Florida. With years of experience in the skilled trades, working with metal, wood, gypsum, plastics, and other materials, I quickly flourished in the foundry environment, excelling at shop work using industrial-level tools and techniques to transform bronze ingots into breathtaking end products. In just a few months, I became proficient in smelting and pouring, welding, grinding, finishing, patina application, and the installation of bronze sculptures, ranging from charming tabletop pieces to impressive monumental multi-figure works. I also enjoyed the distinct honor to be the sole patina artist on the first four editions (out of five) of the late Robert Rauschenberg’s bronze sculptures titled The Ancient Incident (Kabal American Zephyr). During the two years before his passing, I visited “Bob” on multiple occasions at his amazing studio on Captiva Island, even sharing in a champagne toast with the iconic artist. While catering to artist clientele and collaborating on their projects, I also devoted time to my own innovative designs, continually inspired by the journey ahead.

The late Richard Frignoca (owner of Bronzart) gave me permission to set up an ad-hoc studio at the back end of the warehouse space. It was in this space that I sculpted the original clay models which would become my first body of work in bronze. The white conic shape on the far right is the humble beginnings of “Providentia”. For new readers of this blog, you need only scroll to the top of this page to see the finished bronze – Edition 1/5. “Providentia” was also featured in the SCAD thesis film “Third Eye from the Sun”. I will elaborate on that point later in this post (below).

After a 6-year stint at Bronzart, once I had mastered the skills and processes of bronze sculpture casting and there was no further room for advancement, I decided to make a bold move by leaving the foundry and establishing the first of two commercial art sculpture businesses I owned and operated in Florida. I founded S.M.art Castings & Sculpture Services, LLC in Sarasota in 2008.

S.M.art Castings quickly earned a reputation in Sarasota as a gathering place for creatives. The studio evolved as a gallery venue for art events, while also being a production facility for custom sculpture production, art castings, fabrications, and mold making services. During the slow months, usually in the summer when all of my clients returned to their summer homes in the north, I would work on the signature sculpting projects that I couldn’t afford to focus on when there was client work in the shop.
My brother Kevin and I curated a show featuring our personal work in 2011. The show was billed as “Art in the Industrial Park” and it included client projects on display in the back section of the studio. The paintings of nudes throughout the gallery area, the “Nude on Coca Cola” sculpture, and the sinker cypress (wood) piece in the foreground are Kevin A Moore’s work. Kevin was also the photographer for this promotional gallery image.

Those first few years in business were an undeniable trial by fire. While my studies at Ringling College had provided valuable insights into the commercial art industry, I quickly realized that solid business courses beyond art school would have been invaluable. Looking back, I see that a deeper understanding of the challenges of running a business might have made me pause before embarking on this particular leg of the journey. Strategically, when I launched S.M.art, I made a decisive choice to rent a space near downtown Sarasota. Upon discovering the warehouse in the Sarasota Industrial Park, just three miles from the city, I seized the opportunity with confidence. Five years later, to optimize my overhead and fuel smart growth, I relocated an hour south to Port Charlotte, where I found industrial spaces at roughly half the cost per square foot. With this move, I also embraced a name change, opting for something more creatively expressive: Thus, Moore Art Expressions was born.

They refer to it as the “Sunshine State” with good reason! Our creative team at Moore Art Expressions was happy and industrious in Port Charlotte, Florida.
We worked on projects in a wide range of materials and applications, so it helped that we had multiple distinctly facilitated workspaces. Keeping a clean work environment was critical to avoid cross-contamination of materials, but it also kept us healthy and mindfully inventive in our space.
Mold making and casting limited editions in Forton were two of our bread-and-butter processes at MAE.
We also participated in many community art events and hosted a few of our own. This event was held at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota.

For readers eager to explore the exciting art projects we created at S.M.art and MAE, simply scroll up to the main menu and click on the VISUAL ART PORTFOLIO button. You’ll find a treasure trove of photos and descriptions showcasing the wonderful processes behind our work. As I pen this post, I’m thrilled to share that I have even more inspiring content to add to the new page, and I can’t wait to update it very soon to support my job search efforts!

A Natural Progression into Storytelling Through the Art Form of Motion Pictures

I put together this trio of images taken from the production of my thesis film to use as a headliner for my LinkedIn profile – https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottmooresmartcastings/ . From left: Behind the scenes photo taken on the backlot at SCAD in the alleyway (Gotham section). My friend and classmate, Damian Standen played the role of Maynard, and I played his Uncle Neil. The central photo is a still from the final film – Neil is trying to convince his nephew to take over his work on a conscious energy device he’d invented. On the right: Maynard comes out of a trance state initiated by the device and rejects Uncle Neil’s offer.

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve been transitioning from static visual art (fine art) to the dynamic realm of film since my teenage years. My ambition to enter the movie industry has intensified with each passing year, particularly following my transformative experience at the Ringling College of Art and Design. Since graduating from RCAD, I have consistently monitored the college for the introduction of an MFA program in film, though they still only offer 4-year degrees. I proudly taught as an adjunct professor for two semesters at RCAD during the 2011-2012 academic year, where I aided in the development of a course to equip computer animation students with essential real-world sculpture techniques and materials.

In early 2022, as the world was fiercely rebounding from the challenges of the pandemic and I was navigating the tumult of emotions following my mother’s passing, I took an invigorating moment to dive deep into the incredible journey I had forged in the realm of visual art. In reflecting on my path, I felt a powerful sense of fulfillment for all that I had accomplished, yet an undeniable yearning surged within me for one last artistic adventure before this chapter came to a close. My beloved Mom, always my loudest cheerleader, inspired me to strive for greatness and ascend to new heights. She passionately encouraged me to follow my bliss, consistently reminding me, “Scott, you’re a talented artist. I believe you can accomplish anything you set your mind to.” In her loving memory, I made the bold decision to embrace her words, testing my limits to see if I had the tenacity to go the extra mile. I resolutely committed to believing in my own abilities and talents as I embarked on the exciting journey of returning to college to pursue a Master of Fine Arts degree in Film and Television at the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design.

These six images are still frames from my first film titled “Return to Hope”. It was my portfolio submission when I applied to SCAD in February 2025. I was accepted and awarded a Presidential Fellowship to the college. This is a link to the film on my Vimeo channel – https://vimeo.com/1094080450?share=copy#t=0 Be sure to watch the other videos on my channel while you’re there and please leave a comment if you’d like to support my creative endeavor.

In September of 2023, I confidently entered into a transformative program of study at SCAD, culminating in my graduation on May 29th of this year. Throughout the past two years, I encountered challenges that tested my resolve, but each experience only strengthened my determination. I was steadfast in my commitment to take 3 classes per quarter, enabling me to graduate in just six quarters (2 years). While I absorbed a wealth of knowledge in a short timeframe, I relished the exhilarating growth it brought! The Film and Television program at SCAD is intentionally designed to be intensive and rigorous, pushing me to excel. In my second year, I took great pride in writing a 15+ page thesis research paper connected to my thesis film. Writing, directing and acting in the “Third Eye from the Sun” was an extraordinary learning experience that significantly enriched my skills. I wanted the film to stand out as an “Art Film”, so I designed and fabricated the conscious energy device that was central to the storyline (see photos below). With a dynamic team of over 40 creative minds collaborating on the project, the energy and support we shared were truly remarkable, even as we wrestled with the challenges of requiring additional help both physically and financially!

Logline: Maynard must face his deepest fears before he can take over his dying uncle’s life work and inherit the conscious energy device he’s invented.

“Third Eye from the Sun” is based on an ongoing true story. Uncle Neil, the role I embody in this short film, draws from a fictional alter ego that I have been meticulously developing for nearly 20 years. Although, it definitely hasn’t felt like such a lengthy process, because time seemingly passes swiftly when one is entirely engaged in the creation of art. While working at Bronzart in 2006, I began the practice of reading (and re-reading) literature focused on achieving success in both business and life. A client at the foundry generously gifted me Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich, which subsequently led me to explore numerous other works by authors outlining similar strategies for wealth accumulation and prosperity. These business success books ultimately directed me to metaphysical texts and literature centered on conscious awareness. Explorations concerned with the manifestation of desired outcomes, the laws of attraction, and related themes increasingly replaced the fictional novels that had occupied my reading time for most of my life.

Still frame from the opening sequence of TEFTS. When I started writing the screenplay for my thesis film back in September of 2024, I intended it to be a surreal psychological thriller. All the way back to the original Twin Peaks (1990), I’ve been inspired by the film work of David Lynch, so when he passed away just a few days before we started principal photography for Third Eye from the Sun, it seemed appropriate to dedicate the film to the director I’ve most admired. In truth, I may not have even committed to SCAD’s program if I hadn’t seen the amazing work Lynch did in his celebrated Twin Peaks: The Return (2017).

The group of images above are representative of the creative process I used to design and fabricate the “Conscious Energy Device – A transmitter, receiver, and reservoir for consciousness” purportedly created by Maynard’s uncle, Neil Barrett. I aspire to create a feature length version of this short film one day. When that day comes, I envision a much more elaborate device with functional accessories, incorporating light, sound and animatronic mechanization. I had sold my welding machine when I closed Moore Art Expressions and moved north, so I subcontracted Patrick Sell (a local Savannah tradesman) to weld the steel frame for me, per the rudimentary design sketch I provided to him.

The following images showcase selected still frames from “Third Eye from the Sun,” my thesis film from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Currently, I’m keeping the film under wraps as I prepare to submit it to various film festivals throughout the year ahead. Many prestigious festivals require that they have the exclusive premiere screening if they choose to include the film in their lineup. For my readers who are interested in seeing the finished short film “Third Eye from the Sun”, here’s a link – https://vimeo.com/1097614638/d48cb9a6d3?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

Maynard’s moment of truth.

I trust you’ve found this insightful synopsis of “Third Eye from the Sun” and the overview of my dynamic transition into the film industry engaging. Thank you for exploring it on the Grand Providentia United website. I encourage you to support this page and my artistic journey by subscribing and sharing your thoughts here. I’m confident that there will be an abundance of thrilling news to share in the near future.

Head Tales

Casting Dark Shadows #1

Grand Providentia United

Chapter 1

~ Black Dogma ~

As a boy I often wondered exactly how dark the color black could get. I also wondered about the brightest white, just not as often. While being forced to sit on a metal chair at a cafeteria table in Catechism class, I made drawings of demons with a #2 pencil. Totally dissatisfied with the results of my creative efforts, I wondered where I could get the blackest pencil on earth. I imagined myself making a deal with the devil to get the blackest pencil, and once he had forked it over, I’d ask him to please sit still so I could capture his unholy likeness in my current cartoon style. I never did get the opportunity to cut a deal with the Master of Demons back then, and years later when I finally did, I’d already learned just how dark the blackest black was, so bargaining for a magic pencil no longer seemed relevant or appropriate. I’d come to know that the blackest black inhabits a place of no coming back, or if you do come back, you always bring some of the black back with you. Your shadow gets darker, your life-light gets dimmer and your chances of achieving sainthood grow slimmer. Absolute black is a living organism. It resides in the place where night terrors gnash their teeth and shriek their fury. It holds its rightful place within the infinite span of our cosmos at the gateway of every sucking black hole in the Universe. Now I’m left wondering whether every black hole in space might lead to the same Catholic Hell. Eternal damnation becomes a serious consideration when you’re raised to fear God, Satan, and fire. Isn’t it interesting though, that a fiery hell on earth seems more and more plausible when you factor in the onset of global climate change? I can’t quite remember – Is digression one of the seven deadly sins? If so, you can add it to my lifelong list of transgressions so I can atone for it later. Great balls of lightning, I must get back to the point! This narrative is not meant to be funny or fictitious, or even an attempt to entertain. It is a grave warning. It’s a metaphorical fable about what might happen to you, if you dare to go looking for the source of absolute black.

“Unwound”

I’m still sifting through the finer details (i.e., the charcoaled remains of my journey to hell’s gateway) in an attempt to find reason, or at least some semblance of rationale behind my decision to follow Darkness to its source. A central factor in my choice to set forth on a fool’s quest to find the origins of evil, was my premature introduction to the story of Jesus Christ. Like most of my childhood friends, I deeply appreciated my Catholic upbringing, on one day each year – December 25th. But when it came to Sunday morning masses and Catechism classes, I thought the toys and candies of Christmas fell short of sufficient payment, especially when I took into account the yearly quota of lost playtime hours invested. Halloween, on the other hand, asked for no penance or devotion, seeking only a one-night stand of some good old-fashioned gluttony and a propensity to play pranks on unwary adults. And at least the inventors of Halloween were forthright about its roots being firmly grounded in fear and morbidity. Halloween was, and is still, one of my favorite holidays. But the world doesn’t offer a religion based on Halloween’s moralistic principles, and even if it did, I’m sure my mother wouldn’t have approved. So, it’s back to Saints Peter and Paul church and my misguided interpretation of the story of Jesus Christ.

This is the first chapter in the first book of a trilogy I’ll be writing. The three books will be based on the true story of my lifetime (as yet unfolding…). Please feel free to criticize. But do be advised that I still have connections in the Kingdom of Absolute Black!

Head Tales

Casting Dark Shadows #2

Grand Providentia United

Chapter 2

~ Wicked Babies ~

Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” Luke 23:34

And maybe the Almighty Father did forgive them, but I didn’t. Even as an eight-year-old boy, I was convinced that they knew what they were doing, and they did it anyway. The life story of Jesus Christ that I was taught during those many hours of indoctrination into the Catholic religion, stirred in me an enormous internal conflict. I’m sure the reaction I had to the story is fairly common among children when they learn how Jesus’ life ended. However, when I began to internalize the teachings, I am certain that I was too young to understand that the “they” in Luke’s passage did not equate to ‘we’ in my life story. In a single misstep – a naive misinterpretation – I accepted an overwhelming amount of guilt and a huge burden to make recompense for the unspeakable atrocity we committed in the crucifixion of Christ. I embraced the idea that, ‘We knew exactly what we were doing, and we did it anyway’. Here was this miraculous human being who taught love and forgiveness, healed his brothers and sisters, openly accepted sinners and saints alike, and we decided he should be tortured and killed for daring to be different from the rest of us. I became secretly enraged by all of this. I focused the magnitude of that rage inward. It’s so strange to think that I identified more with the teachings of Jesus than I did with the teachings of my grade-school teachers, and because of that, I nearly destroyed my capacity to identify with either school of thought. This is when I started to wonder about the blackest black.

The troublesome thing about childhood wonder – it can lead you a long way down a path in one direction or another, and due to inexperience, you might arrive at a place of new understanding, a place where you’re no longer wondering about that specific thing, but you find yourself hopelessly lost about every other thing. I’ve learned that the distance between absolute black and the brightest white is relative to the number of gradations on a gray scale your current senses are able to perceive. Everything comes down to life experience. When I first began wondering about the blackest black, and when I started making my plans to challenge the unholiest evil, I was grossly inexperienced. Could I have used the word innocent here, instead of inexperienced? Absolutely not. There exists a similar ‘gray scale’ between innocence and guilt that I’m not ready to explore at this point in the story, and besides, one of the very first lessons I learned in catechism was that we humans are all guilty at birth. Original sin exempts us from innocence. If there is a completely neutral gray, a tone that is precisely centered between the blackest black and the purest white, and we insert the equivalent of that gray on the scale between guilt and innocence, the church teaches that we are already closer to guilt than we are to innocence, even at the moment of birth. It’s a bit of dogma that I’ve never been able to come to terms with. It seems unfair that the human race will never be free from original sin – and furthermore, never be eligible for a complete collective redemption. But I guess that’s where the story of Jesus Christ intersects with the story that I’m telling you now.

Down the Tube

The story of Jesus sparked in me a black/white obsession, but there were many other stories that fueled it into an internal raging inferno. So many stories of heroic avengers doing the right things, following the right paths, and coming out clean and righteous on the other side of their trials and tribulations. From the Holy Bible there was the story of David and Goliath, from contemporary literature there was Frodo Baggins from the Shire, and from Hollywood there was Andy Dufresne from the Shawshank State Penitentiary. I was disappointed in God’s failure to intercede on our behalf and infuriated with the devil for leading us so far astray. I vowed to avenge Jesus of Nazareth and every other human being that had ever been bullied, tortured, maimed or destroyed at the behest of Satan and his horde of demons. I would willfully confront the Prince of Darkness and demand full accountability. A disobedient speck of stardust countering the darkest forces of the Universe.

We all have our stories to tell, and I’m committed to telling you this one. If you appreciate the entertainment, please consider leaving a tip in the jar on the Donate*Contact page. Every small donation will help towards getting me settled into Savannah and ready for classes starting on September 11th. Thank you for your consideration!