John Moore was born 1980 into a family of artists - his mother a jeweller and his father a painter. He was quite a singular child, not really interested in sports or playing with action men and never quite fitting in. He was a keen naturalist, often to be found gazing into his tropical fish tank or tending his beloved pond, watching as dragon flies emerged for their spectacular finale. Otherwise he’d be at the kitchen table, obsessively drawing and making things from the scrap paper his parents had saved, usually animals in the form of masks, puppets or automata - things he could bring to life by wearing them or operating them in some way. His passion for making was evident from the get-go. He was essentially making his own toys and the element of movement was deeply satisfying to him.

John aged 2 with his mother and grandmother

John’s first oil painting, aged 9.

John excelled in creative subjects both in and out of school, including music, singing, acting and dancing - especially ballet, which sadly had to end due to a knee injury at age sixteen. He toyed with pursuing his love for performing arts but ultimately his real passion was for making. After achieving 100% for his A-level Art he completed a one year Art Foundation course and was the only non-fashion student to have his work in the end of year catwalk show: a pair of transparent plastic garments supporting externalised organs, a heart, bladder and kidneys - vacuum formed plastic bubbles of coloured liquid; and an arm piece in black faux leather, fastened by multiple straps and joined across the upper back. A fringe of long wire fronds, like porcupine spines, spaced at intervals from wrist to wrist, tipped with tufts of red feathers. Wearable objects were clearly significant.

Eager to try new materials and processes John was resistant to choosing a single subject for his undergrad and opted for a BA honours degree in 3D Design at Manchester Metropolitan University. There he indulged in ceramics, furniture design, glass blowing, metal work and jewellery, with jewellery becoming the focus for his final year. Visits to museums including the Leeds Armoury and The Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford inspired the work. His degree show included a selection of pieces comprised of multiple repeated shapes based on beetle wings and made from anodised aluminium, including a large belt and some oversized earrings. Themes of colour, movement and natural architecture were firmly established.

After graduating in 2002 with a 1st, John returned to his home town of Leamington Spa to work along side his mother, Jane Moore, at her gallery/workshop - a unique and hugely valuable experience both personally and professionally. With her guidance he developed his degree work into ‘Elytra’ (the entomological word for beetle wings) - his first collection which included his trade-mark reversible earrings. Elytra sold through a number of independent shops and galleries around the UK and abroad, and at fairs such as Origin London and EUNIQUE Karlsruhe.

Like a species mutating, Elytra led to his next collection, Vane, comprising multiple discs of coloured anodised aluminium with magnetic silver fastenings. It combined a very engineered aesthetic with snake-like, organic movement and an optical effect, making the pieces deliciously playful and comfortable to wear. Vane won the Kayman Award 2008 from the BJA (British Jewellers Association, now known as the National Association of Jewellers), and the EUNIQUE World Crafts Council Award 2011.

In 2009, after closing the gallery, John made the move to Brighton where he developed his ‘Flight’ collection. Inspired by feathers, Flight was characterised by single shapes of textured aluminium with in-built steel fittings. Its simplicity offered welcome respite from the repetitive labour of his previous work.

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