Carlos A. Moon, also known as Shiney Moon, (1906–1953) was an American painter from the state of Alabama. He was a member of the Dixie Art Colony and the Bayou Art Colony. Initially an oil painter, he became "one of Dixie's most widely known water color artists."[1]

Carlos Alpha Moon
Born1906
Died1953(1953-00-00) (aged 46–47)
Resting placeGreenwood Cemetery, Florala, U.S.
EducationAndalusia High School
Auburn University
OccupationPainter
SpouseSadie Pouncey
Children1 daughter

Early life edit

Moon was born in 1906 in Birmingham, Alabama.[2][3] He grew up in Andalusia, Alabama, where he graduated from Andalusia High School in 1925.[1] He attended Auburn University, then known as the Alabama Polytechnic Institute, in 1927–1928.[3]

Career edit

Moon took up painting in 1942.[4] He was invited to join the Dixie Art Colony by its founder John Kelly Fitzpatrick in 1944 as an oil painter.[2][3][5] He first exhibited his work at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts in 1946, and he became a watercolorist shortly after.[5]

With Fitzpatrick and Genevieve Southerland, Moon co-founded the Bayou Art Colony in Bayou La Batre, Alabama, where he taught watercolor painting.[5] He also taught painting in Brewton, Geneva and Andalusia.[4] Moon became the president of the Watercolor Society of Alabama and the vice president of the Alabama Art League.[3] He was described as "one of Dixie's most widely known water color artists" by the Andalusia Star-News.[1]

His artwork was initially realist, and it later became more abstract, depicting "a more dynamic world with simplified forms, sharp angles, or swirls in stronger, contrasting colors, especially primarily hues."[6]

Personal life and death edit

Moon married Sadie Pouncey; they had a daughter, and they resided in Florala, Alabama. Moon died in 1953, at age 47, and he was buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Florala.[1][5]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Florala Rites for Carlos Moon. Famed Artist Died At Home Following Heart Attack Monday". The Andalusia Star-News. July 30, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved February 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b "Carlos Moon". Art in Embassies. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d Prather, Brenda. "Guide to the Carlos Alpha "Shiney" Moon Papers, RG 9". Auburn University Special Collections & Archives. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Florala's Carlos Moon Exhibits Paintings at Montgomery Museum". The Andalusia Star-News. March 12, 1953. p. 3. Retrieved February 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b c d "Carlos A. Moon, Well Known Artist, Passes Suddenly Monday". The Florala News. July 30, 1953. p. 1. Retrieved February 5, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Barstis Williams Katz, Lynn (2019). Knight, Elliot A. (ed.). Alabama Creates: 200 Years of Art and Artists. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: University of Alabama Press. pp. 91–92. ISBN 9780817320102. OCLC 1049578394.