​Sam Moore

A piece of my heart finds its voice.

It began in the wild.

I was the child rarely seen indoors, instead forging through brush and creeks in the rural Piedmont of NC, even leaving the house at 13 to live in the loft of our old horse barn.  I was a feral child.

Still am.

That I would become a contemporary wood sculptor was little surprise.  The spirit of my late uncle, Vanderbilt artist Puryear Mims, has been afire within me since kindergarten, where I would watch him work while I delighted in chipping away at his scraps of marble and limestone.  Time would pass into adulthood, and I’m dancing in the trees as an arborist and therapeutic tree climbing facilitator, deepening my connection to the natural world.  Ultimately, an “art nerd” at heart, the creative and inquisitive elements of my life converged.

Cliche, perhaps, but the wood I carve has a voice, and my life’s passion is allowing that voice to be heard.  Wood is the quintessential art medium.  It’s malleable, organic, renewable, and the most dynamic “canvas” an artist could ever wish for.  It connects me to my feral nature.

Nature.

Although I shape and burn the wood to my will, I allow its spirit to remain, a dance until we reach a harmonious detente, when I will often shed a joyful tear.

My work is my life.  I find refuge and inspiration in the Blue Ridge mountains I have called home for over three decades.  This is my voice, unflinchingly personal yet earnestly grateful for the privilege to translate my inspiration into tangible art forms for you to enjoy.

And in the wild, I continue.