Details

First Name	Tansy
Last Name	Lee Moir
Username	tansyleemoir
Website	http://www.tansyleemoir.co.uk
Region	Edinburgh & The Lothians
Disciplines	Drawing, Painting, Printmaking
Themes	Botanical, Environment, Figurative, Landscape

Statement

My work is inspired by trees, their forms, their history and the influence that human, animal and natural processes have in shaping them. They are a solid representation of a life lived: old trees are time made wood.

In winter and spring I forage for images outdoors in the woodland, pasture and hedgerow, capturing the essence and energy of my subject through observational drawing. During the leafier months I then transform those intense visual experiences into studio pieces, building bodies of work around themes which chime with my own human experiences of struggle and loss, resilience and hope.

The work plays with ambiguity by blurring the boundaries between human and more-than-human, hinting at figure, wood and water but inviting the viewer to make their own meaning. The drawing process itself feels almost like sculpting, carving out contour lines, adding and erasing deep layers of charcoal, scraping and wiping to reveal light and form. Charcoal as my primary medium allows me to express both subtlety and drama, but I also work in similar ways with painting and printmaking. There’s something poetic about depicting living wood with its carbonised self.

See some short films about my process here.

Biography

Tansy Lee Moir grew up in the Peak District in Derbyshire. She gained a BA(Hons) in 3D Design: Wood, Metal & Ceramics from Manchester Metropolitan University. After graduating she toured the UK for three years as a puppet maker and performer.

She moved to Edinburgh in 1994 to pursue a career as a Community Artist, going on to study Community Education at Post Graduate level at Edinburgh University. For 25 years Tansy used creativity as a medium to support marginalised people, leading art and community development projects throughout Central Scotland.

In 2008 she returned to drawing in her new studio at Edinburgh Palette and established her current practice, making work in charcoal, pastels and oil exploring our relationship with old trees. Now based in South Queensferry, Tansy works full-time as an artist and educator, exhibiting and teaching across the UK.

Tansy has developed close connections and collaborative projects with organisations and individuals who share her passion for our ancient tree heritage. Since 2011 Tansy has had seven solo exhibitions and shown in and curated numerous group shows. Her work is in private collections around the UK, Europe and the USA. In January 2023 she was awarded a commission residency by the late Hugo Burge, to make a triptych of ‘Ghosts’ charcoal drawings based on the trees he loved, for the Marchmont House collection.She was awarde the Greyfriars Art Shop prize at the SSA 127th Annual exhibtion at the Royal Scottish Academy.

Full CV