Elbereth Moore’s work will look hauntingly familiar to anyone that has seen the Brendan Fraser movie ‘Monkeybone’. Moore’s paintings occupy a similar headspace- somewhere between dreaming and waking life, with an undercurrent of hypnotic darkness trailing behind.



That more Gothic feel of some of the work is one of the first things that stands out when looking at Moore’s work- how does that tone come about?

‘The variations in tone just relate back to the process of setting the scene and building the atmosphere...establishing what visual components are necessary to achieve the emotional impact I'm after. For example, with Usher I wanted to portray a really sad, lonely and ever so slightly deranged little boy, so you have to delve deeper in order to achieve that sense that something is not really quite right...as opposed to Alice for example where the eyes and facial expression say it all.’

Is that feel particularly at odds with, or in common with Moore’s own personality?

‘I've always been interested in exploring the darker elements - I guess it's just the way I grew to perceive and interpret the world. In mid 1989 I spent a year in Europe with my mother, who was also an artist.  She sold the house and had no real intention of ever returning to Australia. We spent six months in what was then West Berlin and six months in Gdynia, Poland.
Berlin was a real turning point for me in how I saw things. I was very much overwhelmed by Berlin’s visually majestic qualities - its architecture, its highly refined sense of style, its opulence and its history.'



'One thing I became aware of very quickly though was this palpable sense of sadness that lingered and shrouded the city. The after effects of the war, the wall and the political climate at the time were all contributing factors to this. This combination of tragedy and beauty really resonated with me and slowly changed the way I chose to interpret things. Irrespective of appearances, there are always darker elements at play beneath the surface… and that's what I'm interested in exploring.’

Moore’s blending of more subtle and somber colours is outstanding- her balancing of light and shade adds a real impact. What mediums does she work in, and why?

‘I work predominately in oils and tempera. I've always been attracted to the texture and consistency of oils and find them quite rewarding to work with. Tempera has this marvelous luminous quality which really breathes life into a picture. The combination of the two work well to achieve the mood I'm after.’

Art, more so than most creative pursuits, can derive inspiration directly from certain time periods and movements. While Moore’s work features snakes with sunglasses and other samples of modernity, is there an earlier period that gives her particular inspiration?



‘The Greek Hellenistic period has always been a major source of inspiration. I became quite attracted to Hellenistic sculpture when I was a teenager and a lot of my earlier works were strongly influenced by this period. Now I guess the connections aren't so obvious - but it continues to be a period I'm quite fascinated by.’