Behind the familiar signs and storefronts in "Weekend Plans" are memories that extend far beyond the places themselves. A trip to Blockbuster, an empty Pizza Hut before the evening rush, a late-night Taco Bell run. For Kristin Moore, these everyday landmarks become markers of time, place, and personal experience, transformed through expansive skies and a cinematic approach to painting.
Throughout the exhibition, Moore looks to the places and rituals that once defined a weekend, particularly those she remembers from growing up in Texas and her later years living in Los Angeles. In this edition of Stories Behind, Moore shares the personal references behind four works from Weekend Plans, while reflecting on nostalgia, cinematography, and why certain pieces of the American landscape stay with us.
Be Kind Rewind (Moonrise), (2026)
36 x 36 inches, acrylic on wood panel
I wanted this piece to bring viewers back to the moody lighting and crisp air of a 1990s Blockbuster parking lot in October. This, for me, is the most nostalgic piece in the show. I have so many fond memories of browsing the aisles and picking a physical DVD or VHS to bring home for the weekend. My love of film started at Blockbuster and grew during my time living in Los Angeles.
Was there one sign, storefront, or childhood ritual that first opened the door to “Weekend Plans”?
Yes, Blockbuster. This piece was the launching point for the concept for this series. I found myself going back to iconic signage and wanted to dive deepest into one of the signs I thoroughly miss the most. While we now have way more efficient means of watching movies, the physicality and the experience tied to a late-night Blockbuster run is something so many people still long for. The Blockbuster movie experience was much slower, personal, and intentional.
Vintage Pizza Hut, (2026)
30 x 30 inches, acrylic on wood panel
This piece is inspired by an old Pizza Hut from my neighborhood where I grew up in Houston, TX. It was always quiet during the day, but lively in the evenings, especially on the weekends. I wanted to capture the quiet feeling of an empty '90s Pizza Hut parking lot just before the weekend rush begins.
The paintings often take place at sunrise, sunset, or after dark. What draws you to these transitional hours?
A sunset and a sunrise are a moment of collective pause. I appreciate the collective pause we all take in front of a beautiful sunset or sunrise. With my work, I love the conversation that the skies have with the landscapes I add to them. The sky in my work is just as important as the architecture and/or landmarks. I, of course, appreciate a bright blue sky, but I am constantly fascinated by the fleeting beauty of sunrise and sunset. Pictures never do them justice, so I paint them.
Chilis at Sunset, (2026)
40 x 40 inches, acrylic on wood panel
I was always a fan of Chili’s growing up, and I’m so excited to see a Chili’s renaissance happening on social media, specifically TikTok. This piece was my wink to Edward Hopper’s “Nighthawks,” but with football on the screens behind the bar in lieu of lonely patrons. With this work, the sunset guides the viewer’s eye down to a classic Chili’s restaurant, which, with a closer look, unveils a kitschy dive bar aura.
John Alcott, Hoyte van Hoytema, and Wes Anderson have each influenced your work. What have you learned from cinema about directing the viewer’s eye within a still image?
My love of cinematography is the main reason my skies are often so proportionally large in my pieces. I intend to direct the viewer to have an isolated, personal experience while standing in front of my work. The viewer can place themselves within the visual narrative, whether it’s mine or their own. I am often watching movies in my free time, and my appreciation for film was amplified during my time living in Los Angeles. I would not be the painter I am today without my time living close to Hollywood. I find a lot of my inspiration from watching movies, specifically in the movie theater. There is an immersive, visceral experience that cinematography provides, and I translate a similar approach to my paintings.
Taco Bell (Sunset)
12 x 16 inches, acrylic on wood panel
The Taco Bell drive-through is always there when you need it most, 24 hours a day. It is the late-night food choice of many, and also an iconic fast food restaurant frequented for decades. This piece highlights the comforting familiarity of the Taco Bell sign and logo while also placing it within an aesthetic sunset backdrop, oscillating the pop culture icon with the classic approach to landscape painting.
Some of the landmarks in “Weekend Plans” have disappeared, while others remain part of everyday life. Does painting them change the way you think about what is worth preserving?
I think we can be just as nostalgic for places that no longer exist in addition to places we can still visit today. That sense of “worth” is tied to personal memory and narrative. I can love a late-night trip to Taco Bell, but if I don’t live near one, I can dive into my own nostalgia and memory to try and suffice my longing. This is what initially sparked my fascination with signage years ago during my time in Los Angeles working on my MFA. I had lived in Texas my entire life and for the first time realized how certain signs I saw along the highway were tied to my visual narrative. Once a Whataburger was no longer visible on my daily commute, my sense of memory and nostalgia was amplified. A place I had eaten at maybe once a month most of my life was now inaccessible. This idea of longing tied to signifiers is what sparked my exploration of signage.
While each painting in "Weekend Plans" begins with a recognizable place, Moore uses these landmarks as starting points rather than destinations. The signs, restaurants, and storefronts carry their own associations, but it is through light, scale, and atmosphere that they begin to shift from specific locations into something remembered.
Together, these stories reveal how closely Moore’s paintings are tied to her own visual history, from growing up in Texas to discovering a deeper appreciation for film while living in Los Angeles. "Weekend Plans" looks at the places that become part of our routines and, sometimes without realizing it, part of how we remember a particular time in our lives.
"Weekend Plans" is on view through October 10 at Square One Gallery. To learn more about the exhibition or inquire about available works, follow the link below.
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