When you’ve spent decades in the public eye writing news and talking on the radio, people understandably do a double take when you try something new. That double take is what’s happening right now with former WSJM morning host and Moody on the Market founder Pat Moody.
Retired from the radio station (and mostly from Moody on the Market), Moody has taken up the art of putting acrylics on canvas. His art has already been on public display twice. He’s sold paintings through a local gallery and is currently working on at least two commissioned pieces.
For Moody, taking up painting is not a departure from his previous artistic pursuits. He said he just wanted to find another outlet that was a satisfying expression of his love for vibrant images.
“I have been a photographer for many years, so I love photography and I love brilliant colors and I love artists who create photorealistic art. I know I don’t have that talent by a long shot, so I decided to go to YouTube and look for how to paint abstracts using palette knives instead of brushes. That gave me the inspiration to just figure out how to lay the paint down onto the canvas, and then what to do with it beyond that.”
Moody started small, creating his works on canvas-covered hard cards. But he quickly developed a desire to paint on a larger scale. Currently, his paintings range in size up to 24-inch by 24-inch stretched canvas.
A gallery show
Some artists spend their entire life undiscovered, dreaming of (or avoiding) the day someone might see and appreciate their work. For Moody, he said he was at an art event at Tosi’s when a friend of his mentioned Moody’s art endeavors to the owner of Fusion Gallery in Bridgman.
“Those friends pushed the issue, saying, ‘You should showcase Moody’s art, you know, have a show down here.’ And the owner agreed.”
Because of the size of that gallery and the fact that he didn’t have an over abundance of work ready for display, Moody said the idea quickly turned into a three-man show that would include Moody’s acrylics on canvas, selected pieces from a multimedia artist, and a broad array of uniquely crafted wooden bow ties from an accomplished woodworking artist.
“A lot of friends came down in support. We had around 200 people come to the show on opening night,” Moody said. “It was just weird to be there and have people saying, ‘Wow, this is really cool.’”
The event ran for about a month and resulted in Moody selling at least two of his works – the pricing of which he said turned into an artform of its own.
“I struggled desperately with what to even charge,” Moody said. “I actually went onto the internet and just typed in Google, ‘How to price art’ and I found several really good pieces for formulas and concepts on how to do it.”
A studio of his own
Today you can find Moody’s painting studio on the third floor of The Box Factory, in Studio 340. It’s a modest, bright, windowed room with an artist’s table, an easel, and a rolling cart for his paints, palette knives (his primary tool), brushes, and other creative artifacts.
On the walls are his recent works – some freshly back from the gallery showing and others seeing the public eye for the first time. Moody lives about 1.5 miles from his studio, making it convenient for times when he wants to create.
“I was trying to do things exclusively on the dining table, and there’s just not a lot of room to do that. I just wanted more space to be able to spread out and do my work, and Mrs. Moody was happy to have less ‘in the way.’”
Staying connected
The studio space also affords him an opportunity to stay connected with people in the community.
“Anytime The Box Factory is open, people can come up here. Even if I’m not here, they’ll be able to see much of my work through the window. If I’m here, they are more than welcome to come in and see both what I’m working on and what’s on display and for sale.”
Pat calls his new endeavor Moody on the Wall because in his 51 years in Southwest Michigan, he’s hosted Moody in the Morning on WSJM, started Moody on the Market, launched the Moody on the Move video series, and now he’s entered a period where he’s focused on art – that primarily hangs on a wall.
“I guess I just wanted to create more. I have a bazillion photos, and I love taking photos. But it can be a lot more expensive in the long run to process those into prints. But you know, my new logo affords me the opportunity to do both because it’s an image of bright colors in a frame, wherein the center represents an aperture, as from a lens. In the long run, I’ll probably mix both original art and photography at the studio gallery.”
You can find Moody on the Wall in Studio 340 on the third floor of The Box Factory for the Arts at 1101 Broad Street in St. Joseph. You can currently see some of Moody’s works on display on the first floor of The Box Factory during their Annual Member Show.
