Moe Leady of West Plaza on Life, Lessons & Legacy

We recently had the chance to connect with Moe Leady and have shared our conversation below.

Moe, it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Change. I have had a tumultuous couple of months that I initiated but did not understand the reaches of the consequences of my actions. I was at a job I was unhappy with and I made a choice to shift and I am still gaining my footing but my creativity and studio has shifted along with it and learning how to find my balance again.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Moe Leady. I am a figurative painter and artist working and living in Kansas City, Missouri. I am an internationally and nationally published and exhibited artist. Recent exhibitions include: Resonance with Warnes Contemporary and Visionary Art Collective, Past Futures with No Divide KC at Zhou B Art Center, and Collective II with Visionary Projects. Recent publications include: Volume 21 with Friend of the Artist, November Issue 13 with Suboart, and Volume 11b with Bipan Magazine. My work focuses on our political and social issues and how they visually manifest through our mundane relationship dynamics in the form of body language. I often use the visual form of literary elements and motifs to capitalize upon the movement and tension between figures and composition. I tend to describe my work as queer, literary, intimate, quiet, and prism-like. I focus on technical color and layering techniques to build soft, colorful surfaces. Serving as the base of my work is the grand, historical dichotomy: nude versus naked, that dissects how the public has come to accept certain types of exposure and where. The ethereal nature of people transcribed by the ethereal nature of material; synthesized, concept and medium, they form the visual exposition of human nature.

Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
I often find within my work and life that bonds between people break not because of anything volatile (most of the time), but because of an absence of communication that builds. At first there is an expectation and then with time, and circumstance, a relationship can fizzle without you even remembering the last time you saw them. On the other hand, I believe most relationships are easily restored but rather it should be question of it is it healthy to restore them. Some people are not meant to be apart of your life forever and some are meant to come in and out and some are meant to be glued right next to you. Don’t be afraid to say sorry to the people that deserve it and don’t be afraid to demand a sorry from the ones that owe it.

Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
I took a nine month hiatus in 2024 where I seriously considered quitting art and not pursuing a studio art career. I didn’t make any work in that nine months. I was very depressed and I was at a job that I disliked and felt disrespected at. I read a lot in that time frame. I believe I read almost 60 books in that nine months. I had no desire to be creative and then I forced myself to sit in my studio and write in my sketchbook about everything that I liked about my practice and everything that I disliked. The dislike list was longer at the time and I wanted to change that. I kept thinking about when I broke my dominant wrist at 18 and cried everyday because I couldn’t paint and now I was just giving it up for what reason! I sat down I taped up a piece of paper, I put on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and I painted Three Graces (Stuck). And then I didn’t make another piece for three more months but it started the process of my creative wheels turning, so although I have a love-hate relationship with that particular work, I do have a lot of respect for it.

So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
Being a successful artist. Building an art career takes time and I’ve only been at it for a few years and I’m proud of my accomplishments thus far. I am patient and hard working and dedicated to my studio. Collaborating with artists, galleries, and advisors has been a rewarding experience. I have gained so much insight the past three years on what it means to be a professional artist and how the art world moves in ways I didn’t anticipate/know. I am looking forward to gaining more experience and working with more people I respect and admire in the future.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
In the morning, making too elaborate of a breakfast for a Tuesday, listening to Tchaikovsky (strings only), and then eating my elaborate breakfast while watching Bob’s Burgers. Prepping for a day of studio work.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moeleady.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moeleady/
• Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/moeleady