Along the Way – Artist & Art Teacher Robert Moya

“Art can be anything you want it to be.” Robert Moya

What was your first job?

My first job was at a restaurant called Mrs. Robinson’s on the rural Eastern Shore of Maryland. A bunch of us teenagers basically ran the place while the owner/manager checked in on us once in a while (that was fun!) I saved up my money to buy skateboarding gear.

What is the job you wish you had for just one week?

It would be nice to be an entrepreneur, or consultant, or any creative position that does not have set hours.

What is the most important thing you learned in school?

I think more importantly than learning any content, I became aware how to think, question, and problem solve. As an art teacher, that’s what I enjoy teaching my students. These abilities can help a person in various facets of life.

What is your favorite conversation to have with a student?

When many students first take my class, they often ask if they are allowed to make certain choices, or to use certain materials. By mid-semester, however, hopefully my students are comfortable with the freedom they are given to solve art-making decisions themselves, and have the confidence and agency to do so. Therefore, the best conversation I can have with a student is one as a facilitator; the student is hopefully asking me for materials or resources to solve a problem that he or she is already tackling by him or herself.

Least favorite?

One of the most frustrating things as an art teacher would be having a student who is tuned out in my class, or apathetic. He or she might say something negative, or have despondent body language. While not very common, I try to counter this by demonstrating to my students that they can use art to explore what they’re interested in as young adults: skateboarding, soccer, music, fashion, or even their social lives. Once they understand this, they usually buy into the class and get interested in the projects.

What do you wish that you had learned in school?

I got a little of the business of art in grad school, but wish it were a bigger part of the curriculum in both undergrad and grad art programs.

Favorite Style of Pizza?

My favorite pizza is my mom’s. When I was a kid, on Sunday’s, she would make homemade pizza with whole-wheat crust, and feta cheese. We would eat the pizza while watching Masterpiece Theater on PBS.

Best advice you ever received?

The best advice I’ve ever received (regarding art-making) is that I should choose a career that allows me to make art. Teaching has allowed me to do this.

What is the best advice you ever gave?

Art can be anything you want it to be.

When did the arts enter your life in a significant way?

In high school, I was into the hard-core punk scene. I published my own fanzine, and was responsible for the art and design of the ‘zine. I also designed show flyers, band logos, record covers, and t-shirts for various bands in the local scene. I also learned how to screen print, and was the go-to-guy if anybody needed shirts done.

Ice Cream, Pie or Cake?

Two of my biggest vices are chocolate and ice cream, so once I start eating a pint of Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie Fudge, it’s hard to stop.

What do you do when you fail?

When I fail, hopefully I can learn from the experience, and figure out how to fix what I messed up. Art-making, like many processes in life, is about continuously failing and fixing, failing and fixing, so I’ve learned that failure is just part of a bigger process. The art that I make now is in a lot of ways about cutting up and re-working previous pieces that I ended up not liking. Many of my pieces are in their second or third iterations.

Tell us about yourself

I am an observer. For this reason, I like to make art and travel; both of these are similar in that when I do either, I am exposed to new visual stimuli. Art-making is ultimately more rewarding, however, because I get to make the landscapes that I observe.

Tell us a secret

I’ve been in L.A. for about fifteen years, and am still trying to figure it out.

Artist & Art Teacher

Robert Moya’s paintings are composed of cut pieces of white glue mixed with acrylic paint. In these works, Moya explores the variances between neighboring spaces (certain nuanced relations in space, color, surface, depth, and composition), as well as how these painted spaces might relate to the differences in the man-made spaces that humans inhabit and create. Visit his web site at www.robmoya.com.

Robert holds a BFA in drawing and painting from the University of New Mexico, and an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute. He teaches drawing and painting to middle school students at Eliot Arts Magnet in Altadena, CA, and ESL at Glendale Community College in Glendale, CA. His current exhibition, “Robert Moya” is at the ReCreative Art Center in Seattle.