By Heather Huffnagle, Editor
Self-portrait with lighthouse in Pemaquid, ME, June 2006, 18”x24” oil on canvas
On Wednesday, October 8, 2025, nearly 70 attendees gathered at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Riverton to learn about the life and art of the late Reverend Richard Moore (1932-2017). Reverend Moore served as Calvary’s minister from 1967 until his retirement in 1994. Reverend Moore’s son Steve, his daughter-in-law Tricia, and grandsons Donovan and Nate curated the show of watercolors, oil paintings, pencil studies, and a few models of ships. These well represented the arc of Reverend Moore’s development as an extraordinary self-taught artist.
The program, hosted by the Historical Society of Riverton and Calvary Presbyterian Church, provided an opportunity for those who knew him to revisit his extraordinary legacy. For those who did not know him or his work, the event revealed a glimpse of a unique talent whose skills improved over time with the support of neighbors, friends, fellow artists, and patrons.
At the October 8 event, Steve Moore introduced his father’s work while standing by a painting of a docked battleship displayed on an easel gifted by a friend and fellow Riverton artist Ben Collins.
Reverend Moore’s living connection to the Riverton community was unmistakable at the event. Many in attendance remembered Moore fondly, and some brought Moore paintings from their personal collections. The Historical Society’s oldest member, Bill Hall, who recently celebrated his 101st birthday, was in attendance and provided a watercolor view of Jungfrau Peak from the Halls’ house in the Swiss Alps. The Halls and the Moores often traveled together; Moore’s travels were well represented in the show of his work.
A series of paintings reflecting Richard Moore’s love of travel.
The Artist’s Story
Richard Caldwell Moore was born in Philadelphia in 1932, and raised in Upper Darby, PA. After graduating from Upper Darby High School in 1950, Moore received an ROTC scholarship to attend the University of Pennsylvania where he studied history – an interest he cultivated throughout his life and captured in many of his paintings. After graduating from Penn in 1954, he entered the Navy as a line officer for three years. He enjoyed his life in the Navy but felt a calling for the ministry and entered Princeton Seminary in 1957 where he met his future wife Toshii Shimoda. In addition to receiving a Master of Divinity degree like her husband, Toshii also enjoyed painting and music. It is not surprising that Steve Moore, his wife Tricia, and his children have pursued professions in the arts. (Steve and Tricia are architects, as is their daughter Veronica Moore; Donovan and Nate are musicians).
After graduating from Princeton, Moore rejoined the Navy for two years as a chaplain stationed out of San Diego. He was then hired, in 1963, as a minister at Galeton Presbyterian Church, in a small logging town in north central Pennsylvania. In 1967, he moved to Riverton to become pastor of Calvary Presbyterian, and soon after pursued his love of painting.
An Artist’s Work
Everyone in attendance at the event was impressed not only with the high level of skill seen in the works on site, but also, Moore’s extreme productivity. What the crowd at Calvary saw on October 8th was a portion of what has been stored at his son’s house in Riverton. Steve Moore’s brother Bill has half of his father’s collection in his home in central Pennsylvania, and many of Moore’s works are in local homes and in museums. Bill provided slideshow-style videos of works within his collection for the event which included paintings of many houses in the Triboro area.
As a working painter myself, I’ve wondered how someone with a full-time day job, and rich family and social life could maintain such high creative output. I learned that Reverend Moore set aside Mondays, his day off, for painting. He credited his wife Toshii for allowing this luxury.
Pat Brunker, the HSR’s treasurer and member at Calvary recalled once stepping outside her renovated carriage house at the corner of Second and Thomas to see Reverend Moore studying her home with paint and paper in hand. Hers was one of many Riverton houses painted by Moore.
As Moore became more practiced and skilled with oils, the artist developed a keen eye for painting dynamic, detailed, and accurate maritime paintings. He retired from Calvary in 1994 and had a house built near a beloved cousin’s house in Hampton, VA in 1994. He spent the next ten years painting and traveling around the country and the world, visiting friends. He also received many commissions for marine subjects from naval ship associations and museums. The American Society of Marine Artists, an association of professional maritime painters and sculptors, elected him President.
It was during this period that he experienced the loss of 23 of his best paintings, both oil and watercolor, in a gallery fire in Portsmouth, Virginia. However, he was very philosophical about the loss, saying that they were subjects that he enjoyed pursuing and that he was finished with them. The one painting that survived was the Moshulu, shown at the exhibit.
In 2004, Richard and Toshii moved back to Pennsylvania, to Willow Street (near Lancaster), to be closer to family and new grandchildren. Moore continued to receive commissions during this time, most notably, a commission for four murals depicting the capture of a German submarine recently restored at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. At this point, Moore was in his 70s.
This fact is one of the keys to Moore’s legacy. He never stopped painting. And he continued to maintain a clear vision, with masterful brushwork. Moore’s last piece, a watercolor still tacked on its backer board, reflects this. It’s a fantasy, a collection of ships depicting the period during which sailing ships were being phased out and replaced by steamships in a medium that requires a confident, steady hand. At this point, Moore has use of only one eye, having lost sight in his other eye by this time.
The Historical Society of Riverton was honored to share his legacy with our community. We look forward to bringing you more stories about Riverton’s creative past to inspire generations for years to come. Special thanks to the Moore Family for their time and generous access to Richard Moore’s original works.
Heather Huffnagle, Editor
“Discovering and Retelling Riverton’s Stories”
It was an excellent exhibit
Thank you for a wonderful story about Rev Moore. It’s been many years since I have lived in Riverton. I grew up on Thomas Ave and still love the town. It’s a treat to learn more about it.
I truly enjoyed looking at this Pastor’s art. It resonates for several reasons. I have family members that served in the Navy, my grandfather was and my son is a Pastor and I have dabbled in acrylics and presently in water color. I understand the joy of it. My mother produced some very nice oil paintings before I was born and they are in my home today. Also, I have family ties to his area in NJ, where I lived most of my life and presently live in PA and am familiar with all his ties to that area as well. I wish I had known about it before hand. Are the paintings displayed anywhere for public viewing presently? Thank you.
Thanks for the kind comment, Elise. About are there any paintings on public display, sorry, no, all are in private hands at this time.