Article: Ruby Jack Meets: Moira Frith
Ruby Jack Meets: Moira Frith
In Ruby Jack Meets, we introduce you to the incredible creatives that inspire us here at RJ HQ. In the fourth interview of our series, we’re thrilled to feature Moira Frith—a self-taught artist based in the North East of England, whose work beautifully bridges the natural world and her vivid imagination.
Moira’s creative journey is one of rediscovery. After stepping away from art after her school years, she rekindled her passion during maternity leave in 2015. Since then, Moira’s artistic practice has flourished, often drawing inspiration from nature and themes of performance, such as folk dance and the circus.
In this interview, Moira reflects on what reignited her artistic spark, how she navigates artist’s block, and the creative connection she feels with the natural world. She also shares her love for our Cabaret Voltaire earrings and Goddess bracelet and reveals her most treasured piece of creative advice, that we can all learn from.
Hi Moira! Art is clearly an inherent part of who you are, but I read that you stopped painting after you left school. What exactly reignited your passion for art and inspired you to start creating again?
I don’t think there was one particular moment. I would occasionally do something drawing based – for a time I went to Saturday morning life drawing classes with a friend for example - but it wasn’t something that was regularly part of my life. However, on maternity leave with my first daughter in 2015 life took on a different pace. Slowing down and spending more time at home peaked my curiosity in drawing and in a way I was addicted to it for a time, and it became much more a part of who I am.
What was the very first painting or piece of work you did after your hiatus? Do you still have it?
I’m not sure the first exactly. But the first finished piece (using finished very loosely here!) was a copy of the octopus from the front of the Polpo cookbook. It’s quite a different style to the way I paint now – very slow and methodical and it took me absolutely ages. I realised at the end that whilst I thought I’d been painting on watercolour paper, I’d actually used the protective sheet that covers the fancy paper! My parents have the painting in their bathroom, but I’d never show it to anyone else – it's not a patch on the original Polpo!
Your career history obviously influences your artistic work day to day and the two combine so perfectly. Are you glad your creative journey panned out the way it did, or do you have any regrets? How do you think that break has shaped your artistry?
I sometimes wonder how the arts branch of my career might have panned out if I’d taken that path when I was younger. However, I had absolutely no inclination to take the route at the time (in fact our A-Level art teacher really pushed her students to apply for art foundation courses, and I was adamant that wasn’t for me) and so it’s impossible to have regrets about it. What I’ve come to realise is that I feel a connection to the natural world that goes beyond a pure scientific sense, and instead is grounded in an awe of the beauty and our connection to nature, and I think it is that side I express and explore artistically.
What advice would you give to anyone who’s always wanted to explore their artistic side but is too scared to?
It’s a cliché, but enjoy the process not the end result. There is no need to judge your outputs or to feel they need to be ‘good’. I think that taking a short course can be a brilliant way to explore a process/technique you’re curious about. When I started out, I joined a printmaking without a press course run by my local council. I absolutely loved mucking about with the ink and making loads of really rubbish prints – it was a joy!
Nature and botanical elements are prominent in your work. Do you think creatively while you’re working on conservation and vice versa?
Hmm. Creative is a broad term. I think most lines of work require one to be creative in some form or another. In my current day job I make maps, so this definitely requires a visual sensibility to make the maps look appealing, intuitive and easy to navigate. On the flip side, it’s hard to make things for sale and not consider the impact of consumerism more generally. I do feel my money is always better spent when it goes towards a maker, or a small/local business. I love collecting and living alongside objects (particularly ceramics), made by the hands of others.
Do you ever suffer with artist's block? How do you overcome it?
All the time. Fear of the blank page is ever present! Particularly because I have a day job and a young family, I will go for some days or even weeks without making time for art and then it’s always a struggle to get back into it. The only way to navigate this is to just start. Starting with an acceptance that I might not like what I see, but that I need to go through that part of the process to get to a place where I feel I’m in the flow again.
You’ve dreamt up a circus-inspired series recently, which we love! What sparked your fascination/imagination with the circus?
For me it’s the movement, expressiveness, patterns and shapes associated with the circus that draw me in. Going back a bit…I live in a city called Newcastle-upon-Tyne in North-East England, which has a strong folk tradition, and our local pub often hosts folk dancers and musicians, and I think that was the spark that made me want to explore dance and performance more generally. So back in lockdown I made a lot of sketches from imagery of folk dancers, and I love the transformation that occurs in a body when costume and dance combine. Coming back to circus…it feels like an extension of my exploration of this theme.
Which Ruby Jack pieces are you wearing and what made you choose them?
For myself I chose the Cabaret Voltaire set of earrings. I love that they can be mixed and matched and that each jewel designed by Ruby tells a little story, so it feels like I’m wearing a set of characters. Plus they are insanely pretty! I also chose the Goddess bracelet as a gift for my mum. It’s really generous of Ruby to include me in the series, so I wanted to pass that on. I’m waiting till' Christmas to give my mum the bracelet and I know she will be over the moon when she sees it.
What is the most important piece of creative advice you have ever received?
Not advice given to me personally, but Sister Corita Kent’s ten rules are an excellent manifesto to be led by – I’d encourage anyone not familiar to take a look at them. On a more personal note, I had a session with a creative coach earlier this year, and she encouraged me to see if it is possible to check in with an emotional response when thinking about my creative career and creating in general. That felt like important advice for me personally, as it’s those gut instincts, things I can’t put into words almost, that are the truest compass of where and how I need to guide my practice. And so sitting with how I feel is incredibly important, both in a creative sense and more generally.
Who or what are you creating for, other than for yourself?
I honestly believe that to create your best work you can only really be guided by your intuition. It’s easy (and I am far from immune from this) when so much is shared and seen online to be led by the reaction of others, and to eventually find yourself making work that doesn’t truly speak to who you are. And that never feels good. Ultimately, I think that if I’m making work I enjoy then it may not speak to everyone, but it will resonate with someone.
