Peebles Portraits Moy Mackay
This month’s Portrait is a relative newcomer to Peebles, though her association with the town goes back many years. Moy Mackay is a well-known artist, specialising in combining traditional felt making with painting and embroidery to create unique textural artwork. Having opened her gallery on the Northgate two years ago, she has rapidly become a fixture in town.
Born in Edinburgh, Moy grew up as one of three sisters in a creative household. When asked what her father did, she struggles to recall his actual job (civil service) but talks passionately about his crafting skills and how he always had some project on the go. He was also a keen cyclist, taking part in the first Tour of Britain and still holds the record for the fastest tandem bike ride between Edinburgh and Glasgow. Moy’s mother was the head fundraiser for Children 1st and indeed Moy’s first memory of Peebles is dancing in the Burgh Hall at a fund- raising event. However, again, Moy is keener to talk of the crafts they did together at home and the inspiration she got from her uncle, the painter John Prentice, and aunt, Helen Crummy who spearheaded community arts programmes in the 60’s. The creative influence certainly seems to have rubbed off as one sister, Karen, established Nippers clothes shop in Edinburgh and the other, Janis, is an award- winning children’s author.
On leaving school, Moy worked at various jobs in Edinburgh before becoming an au-pair in the south of France and seems to have approached all of these with a tremendous sense of fun and enthusiasm. A year at college in Manchester followed, before Moy joined the second year of a printed textile degree at Glasgow School of Art, a place she found inspiring. Her degree show was highly acclaimed and the subsequent Design Show in London saw Moy with four job offers, all of which she turned down as she was wary that, if she joined the London rat race, she might never leave. Moving to the Haining in Selkirk, Moy worked as a freelance textile designer whilst beginning her crafting business.
Taking a workshop at Traquair proved life changing, as Moy met her husband, Johnny Morris, who is now well-known for his business, Wolf Glen Tipis (with which Moy is also involved both on the artistic side), as well as for playing in Jiginaboot ceilidh band. The couple have two sons, Eirinn and Saul, who are both at High School and it is through them that Johnny and Moy have been involved in fundraising for a potential skate park in Peebles. Her business
continues to go from strength to strength with the gallery and website expanding so that a new manager has been taken on to free Moy up to get back to her own work. In addition, she tutors her art which, in a few months, will see her travel as far afield as Australia, Norway and America. In 2012, her first book Art in felt and stitch was published, which has already been reprinted five times, published in four different languages and now a Search Press bestseller. A follow-up is currently with the editors for publication in November.
Turning to Peebles, Moy enjoys living here, remarking that living in the middle of nowhere was fun for the boys when they were young but now they have a freedom they would not have had there Given the difficulties of winter travel in their previous home, she comments that Peebles feels a bit like being on holiday with everything easily accessible and a wide range of cafes and restaurants on the doorstep. She would, however, love more open space to have a tipi in the garden.
In terms of dislikes, she would like to see a more sympathetic design approach to new residential developments in the town. As a trader she appreciates the need for parking restrictions to be enforced to prevent vehicles being parked all day on the main streets so allowing more opportunities for visitors to visit and shop in the town. Finally, she imagines that the Arts Festival, in which she has been involved for many years, could, if supported by the many professional artists in the area, help establish the town as a centre for the visual arts .
When we look at whom she admires, Moy is quick to cite a diverse and wide-ranging selection of artists from the pre-Raphaelites to the Arts and Crafts movement. In the area of textiles, she mentions Kaffe Fassett and Bernat Klein, with the theme of all these artists being their strong use of colour, however she takes much of her inspiration from her surroundings and has always been keen to develop her own style rather than borrowing from others.
Finally, we turn to Moy’s secret. In her younger days, Moy competed at national level in Latin American and Ballroom dancing, a talent she rediscovered on a recent trip to Paris with her mother and sisters when she found herself in high demand as a dance partner in a jazz club. Clearly she is talented in many areas of the arts.
Jacqui
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68