St. Aug alum Jon Moody’s art featured on ‘Empire’
9th November 2015 · 0 Comments
New Orleanians and St. Augustine High School alumni and supporters have another reason to watch the wildly popular FOX Network show “Empire” on Wednesday nights.
The show, which stars Taraji Henson and Terence Howard, is showcasing the flavor and vibrant artistry of one of the Crescent City’s own, St. Augustine graduate Jon Moody.
Moody’s breathtaking artwork has found its way onto the popular show at a time when other young New Orleans artists like Jon Batiste and Trombone Shorty are garnering national attention for their inspired artistry.
Moody shared his story with FOX 8 News last week.
“What excites me about it is the ability to provoke thought,” Moody said. “It’s more than a pretty picture — it has some type of meaning behind it.”
Moody’s perspectives and thoughts come to life on canvas.
“It’s impactful and provokes a certain feeling or emotion through painting and affects someone’s life,” Moody told FOX 8. “I like to kinda let the brush strokes have its own control.”
Moody told FOX 8 that he wasn’t always certain painting would be his life’s work. At St. Aug, he excelled at track and field but art eventually grabbed his attention.
After a couple of years at the University of New Orleans, Moody transferred to Savannah College of Art and Design. He excelled at the javelin while he earned a bachelor’s degree in visual effects. By the time he had completed work on his master’s degree, oil, acrylic and even spray paint came calling.
When the president of SCAD stepped into his studio during an art exhibit last year, he had his proof.
“Paula Wallace she came in with her secretary, and they were looking at my work and said this would be perfect,” Moody told FOX 8. “She has a connection with Lee Daniels – the director of ‘Empire.’”
“This is an amazing artist,” Lee Daniels said on Instagram. “What’s his name? Jon Moody. I love Jon [expletive] Moody.”
In one scene on “Empire,” character Jamal Lyons talks with a reporter at his home. Hanging prominently on the wall behind him is Moody’s massive painting, part of a series titled “Ferguson.”
“What I think Jon Moody’s paintings provide you with is an immediate punch, an immediate emotion,” Doug MacCash, an art critic with Nola.com, said. “They’re big, they’re bright, and they’re faces, they’re portraits.”
This article originally published in the November 9, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.
