Redbud and Henry’s Elfin Urban Garden, 36”...

Norma Jean Moore

Norma Jean Moore formally studied at the University of New Mexico, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Art Education. She continued her education by earning a Master of Art Education from Texas Tech University. Years spanning from 1985-2014, she taught art and English as a second language, GED, and citizenship classes with Region 20 and in various public schools in Brownsville and San Antonio, TX, which culminated in 25 years of public school teaching.

However, in 1990-1995, she momentarily stepped away from teaching and immersed herself in the studio. It was a transformative period, working alongside prominent artists at the Guadalupe Annex and the San Antonio art community.

Ms. Moore is a full-time artist. She has lived in San Antonio since 1987. In 2017 she decided to deepen her understanding of the ecology of the region. She joined the local Native Plant Society and completed the requirements to become an Alamo Area Master Naturalist. Monthly lectures and volunteering opportunities inform the concepts and philosophical questions of her painting practice.

Her paintings have been collected by numerous individuals as well as several major institutions: the Art Museum of South Texas, the Institute for Latin Studies at Notre Dame University, Alamo Colleges: Northeast Lakeview College, and University Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Since 1990 she has received numerous awards for her work. These include the 2022 Ann Griffith Ash Award from the San Antonio Art League ... view more »

Norma Jean Moore formally studied at the University of New Mexico, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Art Education. She continued her education by earning a Master of Art Education from Texas Tech University. Years spanning from 1985-2014, she taught art and English as a second language, GED, and citizenship classes with Region 20 and in various public schools in Brownsville and San Antonio, TX, which culminated in 25 years of public school teaching.

However, in 1990-1995, she momentarily stepped away from teaching and immersed herself in the studio. It was a transformative period, working alongside prominent artists at the Guadalupe Annex and the San Antonio art community.

Ms. Moore is a full-time artist. She has lived in San Antonio since 1987. In 2017 she decided to deepen her understanding of the ecology of the region. She joined the local Native Plant Society and completed the requirements to become an Alamo Area Master Naturalist. Monthly lectures and volunteering opportunities inform the concepts and philosophical questions of her painting practice.

Her paintings have been collected by numerous individuals as well as several major institutions: the Art Museum of South Texas, the Institute for Latin Studies at Notre Dame University, Alamo Colleges: Northeast Lakeview College, and University Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Since 1990 she has received numerous awards for her work. These include the 2022 Ann Griffith Ash Award from the San Antonio Art League and Museum, Southwest School of Art, for Best of Painting at the 2008 Faculty and Student Show.2000 Serie Print Project, Coronado Studio, Austin, TX, 1995 Art Matters Foundation, New York, NY, and 1991 Distinguished Recognition for Painting, Grumbacher Incorporated, Leeds, MA

Moore recently received a 2024 Working Artist Grant from Luminaria and has used the grant to begin a book that documents her one-person show, Under The Lens, with Stone In the Stream Poets.

View less

Artist Medium: Acrylic

Artist Statement of Work

Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):

In 2014 my research into native plants was an intentional one: first, to give back to nature and second, to deepen my knowledge of the ecology, which in turn deepens my painting practice. The land is an extension of my studio space. My lawn is now a diverse native wild-scape that provides me with opportunities to observe flowers and their ecological relationships. My presence within this space, my eyes, and a jeweler’s loupe have led me into the monumental possibilities of these delicate floral forms. Although flowers have an aesthetic quality, my paintings are more about their hidden traits.

“Fourth Nature” delves into the intricate ecological relationships between native plants and wildlife within the vibrant setting of one particular urban garden, Woodlawn Lake Centennial Garden. Through the synthesis of gardening and painting, I hope to offer a fresh lens on urban nature, one that honors both its details and its mysteries.