Moody was born in London. In the early 1930s he worked as a scenic artist for Gaumont British Film Studios in Shepherds Bush and Pinewood studios. His wife was from the Channel Islands and the couple came to live in Guernsey around 1936. Working as a civilian clerk to the British Garrison, Moody evacuated with the troops before the Occupation but returned to the island in 1945. He worked for the States Water Board until his retirement in 1963. He then left the island to live in Norfolk. This painting by Moody depicts a once-common view of a Guernsey greenhouse, chimney and steam steriliser. Steamers were used in the growing industry to sterilise the soil in vineries. A laborious process involving digging trenches, laying pipes and then refilling the trenches was used to ensure that the grower produced disease-free Guernsey tomatoes.